The Gunslinger
by Mugiwara N0 Luffy
Summary: (CONTAINS SPOILERS FROM RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2) Arthur Morgan got his redemption at the end, or at least something that made it all worth it to him. But it seems God wants to give him another chance. Now, Arthur has to figure out if he really did learn from the sins of his past to help better a future for a world unknown. (Rating likely to change to M for future scenes)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own neither Goblin Slayer or the Red Dead Redemption series.**

 **Warning: This first chapter contains spoilers from Red Dead Redemption 2, proceed with caution.**

The Gunslinger

Pitch black. That was all Arthur Morgan could see. Surrounding him from all sides, an endless abyss of darkness. He could barely remember what happened. He recalled his last plea with Dutch to see Micah Bell for the sniveling rat he was. He remembered sending John off to his family, telling him to be a man for him. All these memories flooded through his mind, causing him to hyperventilate. Because they all lead to the same conclusion.

 _I'm dead, ain't I?_

Arthur touched his chest with both hands, feeling himself carefully. He rapidly blinked, looking down at his body as he realized something: he no longer felt like his chest was filled with blood. In fact, he didn't feel any pain at all, despite his still rapid breathing. He also realized that he could see his own body, fully clothed strange enough, like it was illuminated even in this dark abyss. He shifted his gaze back up, head swiveling side to side.

"Is this Hell..?" He muttered, taking a careful step forward. While no ground was visible, he still found footing. He looked back up, but was again greeted with darkness.

"Hello?"

Silence. His voice didn't even echo. It was unsettling, to say the least. Though he doubted Hell was meant to be pleasant, anyway.

"This… ain't exactly what I was expectin' from Hell, but…"

"That's because it's not, Mr. Morgan."

Arthur spun around, hand reflexively going for his holster. Of course, despite being clothed, Arthur found his guns were missing. But his attention was directed at the lone voice to answer him. A man who wasn't there before was now seated behind a maple brown desk. He was dressed in an all black suit with a long pipe hat on top of his head. He had a brown handlebar mustache sitting above his lips, and his eyes were focused on some paper he was jotting down on his desk.

"What the hell..?" Arthur muttered, taking cautious steps toward the man. A single light seemed to be beaming down on the stranger like a stagelight at a theatre.

"As I just said, that's not where you are," The man chuckled, a small smirk rising at the edge of his lips. "Come, sit. We have much to discuss."

Arthur looked around again, unsure of what to do. Seeing that there was literally nothing around to do otherwise, he cautiously obeyed, walking up to the single chair sitting in front of the man's desk.

"I uh… I can't say this is what I was expectin' from the afterlife," Arthur humorlessly chuckled, feeling no small sense of fear as he seated himself. "Is this the judgement before I go or somethin'?"

"Oh, no no no, good sir. This is more of a… special case area," The man answered, tapping the tip of his quill in a bottle of ink. "People who the big man upstairs has deemed worthy of… redemption."

Arthur didn't know what to say to that. His eyes drifted down to the empty void below his feet. "I uh… I don't know if God has made a good choice in that regard. I mean, I mighta tried to do somethin' in the end to… to make my exit a bit more dignified, but… I wasn't expectin' it to get me through those pearly gates."

"And they haven't. But, that doesn't mean they haven't give you a second chance," The stranger said with an amused chuckle, setting down his quill and linking his fingers together, giving Morgan a smile that somewhat unsettled him. "No, God has special plans for you. Plans that, if you play your cards right, might get you a ticket to the penthouse. As well as a chance to perhaps live differently than you did."

Arthur narrowed his eyes in disbelief, trying to find the right words to answer back with.

"I… I don't understand…"

"It's not for you to understand. At least not entirely just yet," The stranger explained, leaning back in the leather chair he rested in. "Just know that you'll be able to put those skills to use for something far less unpleasant than before."

"My… skills?" Arthur repeated, his confusion only rising. "T-That… That don't make much sense. I'm a killer and a thief. Ain't much good that can come of those kinda skills... "

"It all depends on what those skills are aimed at, even ones such as yours," The stranger said, wagging his index finger at the veteran cowboy. "Much more good can come from those skills being used pointed in the right direction."

The stranger stood from his seat, crossing his arms behind his back as he strode slowly around the table. "Or… if you feel that new perspective you got at the end of your life was only temporary… You could just continue to use those skills in what ways you've known. Killing people. Robbing the innocent. Of course it means damning your soul again, but it will be your life to choose once given the chance."

Arthur stared at the stranger in disbelief. "Ain't you supposed to be workin' for the big man? Why bother tellin' me that kinda thing if the point's to… give me a chance at Heaven?"

"Oh, I might work for God, Mr. Morgan, but my perspective is a bit more bleak than his," The stranger explained, stopping just a few feet away from Arthur and leaning on the desk. "I'm a big fan of your work, to be honest. All of it. So part of me has to wonder… has that old gunslinging, murdering thief really changed? Or was sitting on my doorstep just making him sentimental?"

Arthur felt his body fill with dread. Whoever this man was, despite his mannerisms, terrified him. He wasn't saying much, but just having him so close was making Arthur's skin crawl.

"Who the hell are you? **What** the hell are you?"

"I've been called many things, Mr. Morgan. But right now, I'm just the ferryman to your new life," the stranger smiled again, only serving to make Arthur uncomfortable enough to swallow his spit. "But enough about me. Let's get you moving on, shall we?"

Arthur felt his body relax once the stranger removed himself from the table and returned to his side again. "O-Okay then… so what exactly am I gonna be doin'? Reborn as some kid back home again?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. Your role in your world is over. It's time for you to take a journey to another," The stranger explained, picking up another piece of paper and beginning to write again. "Though we will be giving you a few years back. Perhaps around your early twenties, hm? Would that be preferable?"

"Another… another world?" Arthur asked, releasing a small chortle in disbelief, ignoring the last sentence. "The hell you mean?"

"Well, you see Mr. Morgan, there are indeed more worlds than the one you know," The stranger continued, turning a smile up at the cowboy as he continued to write. "Places much like those out of the fairy tales that you used to read with John Marston, I believe. Places full of wonders beyond your imagination."

Arthur looked down in thought, trying to understand what was going on. "So… basically, you're tossin' me into a story book about knights and princesses? Is that what you're tellin' me?"

The stranger laughed, amusement evident in his expression. "Something like that I suppose. But as you've discovered about life, not all stories are so glamorous as they seem. Some are quite dark and full of terrors. Terrors you've yet to know or experience. After all, while you've seen what evil men can put forth, you've yet to see what… true evil can be," The stranger licked his thumb, picking up another page and beginning to write again.

"Now what exactly do you mean by that?" Arthur asked, eyes furrowed.

"Ah, now what fun would it be to tell you everything? That's for you to find out. You have much to see and learn about this new world," The stranger chuckled, standing from his seat again. "But worry not. Despite the medieval status of the world, we won't send you there with nothing."

The stranger walked to the left side of the table, tapping the top of it. Without warning, a drawer suddenly pulled out of the table, causing Arthur to stand up with a eyes widened, now seeing a collection of guns sitting inside a large panel. Guns that **he** had collected before his death.

"You're… gonna give me all my guns?"

"Not all of them. About four will do. But I thought that we might as well give you something familiar to choose from. Go on, take a look," The stranger offered, waving a hand over the guns in presentation. "You can take two handguns and two long guns. About what you would typically carry on foot, right?"

"Yeah… I guess…" Arthur muttered, his hands tracing over the familiar weapons. "But uh… if this place is all knights and dragons or whatever it is, what good will my guns be without ammo?"

"You let me worry about that. Once you've made your choices, I'll give them a little tweak to help you out," The stranger said vaguely. Arthur looked up at him again, wanting to argue. But then again, he doubted that his current host was one who would be so threatened by him. Hell, Arthur was afraid of him in a way.

With that in mind, he returned to his guns. One that caught his attention was Calloway's Schofield revolver. It had been one of his favorite 'trophy' guns after taking it from the drunken gunslinger's body. Its design and strength were nothing to laugh at. He even liked the latin words across the barrel, CANIS CANEM EDIT, which Hosea translated for him as 'Dog Eat Dog'.

With that in mind, Arthur tucked it away to his main holster.

He then looked at his own custom designed cattleman revolver. Looking at it now, Arthur felt a bit silly. He went all out with it, having the barrel threaded and lengthened, the metal shifted to nickel plating and a beautiful carving in the metal. He even had pearl grips installed. A bit flashier than what he was used to using, but Arthur went on a bit of a splurge for this gun. He was dying when he got it customized, after all. He didn't see any use in holding back.

He tucked that one away to his off-hand holster.

He spared a look at his shotguns. They were all fine weapons and useful for close range. Packed a lot of firepower that he could use at close quarters. He grabbed the lever action, fond of its style and the most familiar gun among his shotguns. He slung it over his shoulder, accepting it as his third gun.

He moved to rifles. The Lancaster repeater was tempting. Good at close to medium ranges with 14 rounds. But Arthur was good with his revolvers at even medium range, and often used them in the longer winded fights over the repeater due to the flexibility. So, wanting the maximum range possible, Arthur picked up the Rolling Block rifle. Extremely long barrel, long scope but great stopping power. He'd put down some big game with this bad boy in one shot.

"Well… guess I've made my choices," Arthur announced, slinging it on his shoulder. "Now what?"

"Place them on the table. Each one on its own paper," The stranger instructed, the four sheets that he'd been writing on laid out for Arthur to see. Strange pentagrams were inked across the pages, causing Arthur to hesitate for a moment. "Go on, they won't bite. They're to help, remember?"

"Yeah… okay," Arthur sighed, drawing his handguns and setting them on the papers. Next, he unslung his two shoulder guns and did the same.

"Very good. Now to give them each a tweak," The stranger grabbed a stamp at the end of his desk, pressing it against the edge of each paper. Arthur took a step back as the ink began to illuminate, consuming the guns in a faint green light. After another second, it passed, and the guns now had a small pentagram engraved on the handles.

"What… did you do?" Arthur asked, slowly reaching forward and grabbing his cattleman revolver.

"I solved your ammo problem. Don't worry, you'll figure it out as you go," The stranger chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "In fact, each gun, as you start to grow and know this new world, will have something a bit special to them. You'll discover those special tricks overtime. So tell me, Mr. Morgan. How are you processing?"

Arthur looked at his gun before looking at the stranger, shaking his head. "Barely. I can't believe where I'm at, who you work for or what's happenin'... I just… I don't know. Guess I didn't know what to expect when I died, but this, all this, was… certainly not it."

"I understand. Many others in your place have had the same reaction. Can't say I blame you," The stranger said, clapping his hands together. "But see it as an opportunity. One not unlike the one you gave to John Marston before departing from him. A chance to live how you see fit with a completely fresh start."

"Y-Yeah… I suppose…" was Arthur's best response, the cowboy tugging on the brim of his hat. "So… anything I should know about this place I'm goin' to?"

"Quite a lot, in fact. But… none of it I'll be telling you," the stranger bluntly put, causing Arthur to look up at him in confusion. "Consider it a part of your trials to come. Learning, adapting, and overcoming what obstacles you'll face. A baptism by fire if you will."

"That don't sound very pleasant…" Arthur mumbled, rubbing a hand against the close shaven hairs on his chin.

"Things might start a bit shaky for you, but I've no doubt you'll step up to the challenge," the stranger said. "One bit of advice though: when you meet someone, don't tell them you're from another world. They'll likely think you're mad."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I know if some feller walked up to me sayin' that, I'd think the same," Arthur admitted, picking up the rest of his guns and putting them away. "So… what now?"

"Now… Now you go off. Enjoy your second life, Mr. but two things before you go," the stranger placed his index and middle finger against Arthur's temple. "The first being that people don't actually use names for others in this world. Just their titles."

"Titles? Why the hell would they do that?"

"I don't rightly know. But I figured it was only right to tell you to keep that confusion from slowing you down. If I were you, I'd go by… Gunslinger."

"If you say so…" Arthur muttered, unsure of the title. He never considered himself a real gunslinger in any sense. Even if he was good in a gunfight.

"Good. Now, lastly, and this one's important," the stranger's smile faded, replaced with a grave expression.

"Do be careful of goblins. Despite what people might say in that world, they're **not** so simple a creature as you might expect."

Arthur raised a brow, about to question his meaning. That became difficult when he felt body go limp, suddenly overwhelmed by sleep.

* * *

"What the hell…"

Arthur's eyes peeled open slowly, only to find he was still in darkness. The air felt different though. Musty, in fact. The ground beneath him was no longer nothing, but instead rough earth. The cowboy let out a groan as he rolled onto his side. He pushed off the ground slowly, rising to his feet as he felt around him. He moved several meters from where he had been laid out, his hand finding a rock wall.

 _A cave then?_ Arthur reached into his jacket, hoping to find the contents he usually had stashed away in his breast pocket. With some relief, he found a box of matches inside. He quickly struck a match against his boot, giving himself the smallest amount of light to see. Though it wasn't much. Thankfully, just a few feet away, an unlit torch sat in a stand.

"Well that's convenient," He muttered, quickly pulling the torch out and lighting it up. It gave him much more field of vision, Arthur taking a moment to spare a look at his surroundings. It wasn't much though, forward and back both looking as deep and dark as the other.

"Shit… where the hell did he put me?" Arthur grunted, unsure which way to go. He tried to listen for the wind or the sound of rushing water. But he didn't pick up anything. He grit his teeth, hating that he had to pick a way. Getting fed up with standing there, he released a breath and moved forward. He would really like a compass right about now. No that it could tell him which was out, anyway. Arthur moved close along the wall, torch in his left hand while his right rested on his gun.

He could still barely believe that he was alive. He recalled the stranger's words vividly and knew that they were more than just some dream he imagined in his death throes. He felt very much alive right now, even with no illusion as to where he was. It was all so surreal.

 _I mighta tried to do some good in the end, but… did I really deserve a second chance?_

That thought never left his mind. To him, it should have been an obvious answer: of course not. A lifetime of crimes shouldn't have been erased by a few good deeds. Though from the way the stranger talked, it technically hadn't. It only gave him another chance to make up for it.

 _But what does that mean? How the hell can I do that with what I know?_

A pebble kicked in the darkness. Arthur came to a halt and raised the torch. He tilted his head sideways, trying to listen.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

It was faint, but he could hear it. The lightest patter of feet echoing further in the cave. It sounded like a small animal from the size of it, but what worried Arthur was that he could hear multiple feet approach. He instinctively pulled Calloway's revolver from its holster, cocking the hammer back. He took a step back, raising the gun and aiming forward. As the steps started to close in, Arthur's eyes widened in disbelief. Small pale green figures came out of the darkness. They were short, barely big as little Jack was if not smaller. They had long pointed ears and noses. Despite their small size, Arthur saw their poorly made weapons, spears and small knives in hand.

"What the hell are you ugly bastards..?" Arthur muttered, eyes narrowing as he saw them approach. They stopped some two meters away from him, seemingly watching him. Their breathing was ragged, coming out as low growls. Arthur didn't know if they spoke, but he easily recognized the looks in their eyes. He'd seen it in a few feral predators he'd hunted before. They were hungry.

And they were looking at him.

Arthur saw one take a step closer, its spear raised. His body reacted on instinct, responding by pulling the trigger of the gun in his hand. Black powder smoke filled the cave as it echoed with the first shot. He watched as the little monster's head blew up in a brilliant spout of blood. The others immediately backed away, the eruption of Arthur's gun loud and terrifying to their ears.

"Go on… get back, now. Get back!" Arthur ordered, pointing his gun at the remaining monsters, hand tightening around the grip as he cocked the hammer back. Whatever they were, they died from getting shot at least. But Arthur's problem was that there were multiple. And despite his first kill and their hesitant, confused looks, they weren't scattering like rats as he hoped.

 _They ain't done tryin'. Not yet._

Arthur was trusting his gut on this one. He needed to kill another or so to get his point across. If he could get them to scurry away, he would be satisfied and head in the opposite direction.

But then he heard it. The smallest flick of a bow. A moment later, his left shoulder was pierced by an arrow. A small one that didn't dig too deep, but one painful enough to cause him to drop his torch.

" **ARGH!** " Arthur cried out in pain, regretting his moment of hesitation after killing the first. These things weren't completely discouraged from pursuing him. He should have killed another.

Fighting through the pain, Arthur gripped his revolver and raised it, seeing that the monsters were now rushing at him. Another bullet flew forward, causing a monster to fly back from the force, dead. Arthur couldn't stop there though, realizing that he still needed to grab his torch. He unloaded another round into the pursuing pack, killing two thankfully with one shot. He grit his teeth as he stretched his left arm forward, grabbing the torch.

But then he noticed it. One of the creatures had snuck around his right through the darkness. He didn't have enough time to stop it, crying out in agony as he felt a knife dig into his thigh. Arthur fell back, dropping the torch again. But before the little monster could try to stab him again, Arthur raised the barrel of his gun and blew a giant hole in its skull. The body flew back against the cave walls, its blood spattering behind it.

Arthur groaned, gripping the knife in his leg and pulling it out with a cry. He didn't have much time to nurse his wound, though. As he tried to pull up to his feet, a couple more of the little monsters were upon him. The adrenaline in his blood seemed to slow time down for him, aiming precisely at each of their heads and giving them a bullet each. Their bodies flew back, heads blasted from their necks.

"You little… bastards…" Arthur coughed, suddenly beginning to feel woozy. He felt the blood on his right calf, seeing a thin film on the tips of his fingers. _Shit. I hope that ain't what I think._

Despite his fears, Arthur didn't have time to think on it. He raised his gun again and aimed at another monster. Much to his fear, his gun didn't fire. _Out. Shit!_

Whatever the stranger did to his guns, it didn't put ammo back in them. Arthur reached for his belt, grabbing the cattleman revolver in his left hand and raising it painfully to shoot. While one of the monsters edged closer, he saw one in the back at the edge of the faint light from his torch pulling back an arrow. He decided that it was the greater threat, quickly putting a bullet through its gut. As the other one edged closer, he reached for his belt again, this time pulling the hunting knife from its sheath.

The little monster was able to jump on his chest, pushing him back on the ground. Arthur grit his teeth as he stabbed the knife right through its stomach, the monster letting out a pathetic cry before he tossed it off. Arthur heaved for breath, lying flat on his back after that other close call. His head was getting light, and he could guess from what.

 _Shit. I guess all that 'second chance' business was a crock of shit, huh?_

He could hear more of the monsters approaching, their small feet smacking against the rough ground.

 _This was Hell all along, wasn't it?_

Arthur pushed off the ground, slowly forcing his arm to raise up and aim at an approaching monster.

 _Well, it's not like I hadn't done plenty of lyin' in my life. This is probably exactly what I get._

The monster leaped in the air, knife in hand, ready to stab into his chest.

 _Well, guess I can die fightin'. Again._

Arthur blew the monster's head off, its body flying past him as he rolled out of the way. He raised the gun again, preparing to shoot at the next monster creeping close.

But, as fortune would have it, he didn't need to shoot. Because a knife flew directly between the monster's eyes. Arthur hesitated, stunned by the sudden intrusion.

"One."

Arthur snapped his head back, the voice making him aware of someone else's presence. The monsters had stopped as well, the torch's light slowly bringing the new figure into sight. When Arthur had pictured 'knights' during the stranger's talk, he hadn't imagined this grave set of armor before him. A man strode toward them, looking no taller than Arthur and probably going up to his nose. He wore a steel helmet on top of his head that made it impossible to see his face. He wore a steel chestplate with fur lining the collar, steel shoulders and sections of steel along leather pants and shirt.

"What the hell..?"

Arthur watched as he raised his sword again, startling back as he reflexively pointed his gun. The man's sword had another target though, a monster that had dared to dash at him. He easily cleaved the creature in half, causing Arthur to stare in shock.

"That's two."

"Jesus…" Arthur looked at the remaining monsters, seeing that they were now recoiling back. He used the moment to push himself up, gritting his teeth as his leg wound throbbed with pain.

"Take this." Arthur snapped his head to the armored man, looking to see him holding out a small bottle.

"Uh… thanks… but what's-"

"Your leg wound. Goblins dip their knives in poison."

"O-Oh, shit!" Arthur didn't wait another moment, inhaling the antidote quickly and letting out a grunt of disgust. "Thanks, partner."

"You were lucky. Any later would have been fatal," he said in answer. His voice was deep and his voice apathetic. Still, Arthur felt no less grateful for his help. "The exit's that way. Go."

Arthur looked past the armored man. _Of course it's that way._ He thought, thinking of his dumb luck to have gone toward the monsters instead of away.

"Thanks. Let's get goin' then," Arthur said, pulling the bandana from his neck and tying it around his cut leg before pulling the arrow out with a pained grunt.

"You go. I'll finish these off."

"What?" Arthur said, looking back at the armored man in confusion before looking at where the goblins had attacked from. They had clearly retreated further in, having left their dead to the worms. "Look pal, they've already run away. You shouldn't risk goin' too deep 'case they set a trap."

"They likely have. I'll make sure to spring it." He answered shortly, beginning to stomp forward again.

Arthur stared at his back in disbelief, watching as the man picked up the torch Arthur dropped earlier and started to use it as his guide. "Don't be a goddamn fool! Those little monsters ain't worth the time!"

"They are. For I am Goblin Slayer," He said back, causing Arthur to narrow his eyes. "And I don't leave any goblins alive."

Arthur recalled something about people's names being their 'titles'. He also remembered the vague warning about goblins as well. Still, Arthur could only hesitate, looking back at the exit as he was tempted to leave.

"Goddamn it!" He cursed, limping after Goblin Slayer. He made sure to pick up his dropped revolver and hat, placing them both firmly in place.

"You're coming?" Goblin Slayer asked, his voice void of concern but with a small bit of curiosity.

"Yeah, I'm comin'," Arthur drawled,holding up his cattleman revolver at the ready. "You helped me out, so… I suppose I should return the favor, at least."

That wasn't the whole reason, of course, but it was true enough. This was the first person (or at least he hoped was a person) that Arthur had come into contact with. He didn't have anyone else to help him get answers. Sticking with Goblin Slayer was probably his best bet.

Goblin Slayer's helmet tilted ever so slightly to look at Arthur, the cowboy looking back into the black of the helmet where he thought eyes might be. Arthur couldn't read the guy at all, but the small nod that his helmet did at least told him that he was fine with him coming.

"Keep an eye out for an ambush. They'll be waiting."

"Got it. You sound like the expert, so I'll follow your lead," Arthur said, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. At the moment, the cave was still narrow, so he doubted they could get the jump on them just yet.

He didn't speak again as they moved forward, not wanting to distract Goblin Slayer from his task. He simply pulled out Calloway's revolver, clicking his tongue.

 _Solve my ammo problem my ass…_ he thought bitterly, knowing he had no ammo on him to refill it with. Still, he opened the gun to pop out the useless casings. Except when the bullet shells should have popped out, they only ejected half way, the chamber beginning to illuminate blue.

Arthur stopped, eyes furrowing in confusion as the chamber suddenly started to spin on its own. One by one, the bullets sunk back into their chambers. Arthur could feel the weight of unused bullets inside the gun again, flipping it closed and holding the custom Schofield up to inspect.

"What the hell was that..?"

"We're drawing closer. Don't lag too far," Goblin slayer called out, bringing Arthur's attention back up to him.

"Y-Yeah… comin'..." Arthur looked back down at his gun again, but kept it in hand as he caught up to the armored man. He was hoping he guessed right about the gun, but was wary enough to carry both in case he was wrong.

"What are those?" Goblin Slayer asked the moment Arthur was close.

"Well uh...know what a gun is?" Arthur asked, hoping to avoid a full explanation.

"No."

"Figures. Well uh… think of it as a… slingshot or a crossbow or somethin'. Except much faster, more powerful and much louder," Arthur suggested, causing his companion to hesitate and look back at him, the smallest tilt of his helmet conveying his wonder. "You'll see. They're strong and'll put 'em down quick."

"I saw. You killed a few. So was that the loud explosion I heard?"

"That's right. They'll pop your ears in a cave like this. I'm just used to the noise myself," Arthur explained.

"I see. The noise probably alerted the rest of their brood. They'll likely have a full party waiting for us."

"Ain't that just dandy…" Arthur huffed, keeping the revolvers in hand. "Keep that light up. The better I can see, the more I'll be able to kill."

"Understood. How much do you know about goblins?"

"Pretty much nothin'. Why?"

"If you see one with a staff, that's a shaman. He'll be able to cast magic and will likely stay behind the rest of his grunts," Goblin Slayer explained, his helmet turning to look back at Arthur. "If you get a clear shot, take it. They're top priority."

"Okay then… look for one with a staff. Got it," Arthur agreed, trying to pick up his advice quick. "Anything else?"

"They may have a hobgoblin or two among them. Much larger than the ones you've seen so far. Stronger and taller than the average man. Kill them first, too."

 _Guy sure knows his stuff. Guess when that's your 'name', it makes sense._

The two walked some ways before Goblin Slayer held out an arm, stopping them short. "Just ahead. The path begins to open up."

Arthur narrowed his eyes forward, seeing that the walls started to widen. He held up his guns and cocked the hammers back. "Got it. I'll keep an eye out."

Goblin Slayer kept his sword in hand, striding forward with the torch in his shield hand. Arthur kept one gun trained forward and the other ready next to it, hoping to check the corners the moment they entered the larger space.

As soon as they stepped further in, Arthur peeked around the corner. Goblin Slayer immediately grabbed his shirt, hauling him forward.

"Hobgoblin!"

Arthur rolled against the ground after being thrown, looking up to realize a large club had smashed the ground they once stood on. "Jesus!" He cursed, the hobgoblin becoming visible thanks to the torch. It was indeed much larger than the other goblins, almost as tall as a bear and as muscular as one.

Arthur sat up, preparing to shoot the much larger monster in the face.

"Archers!"

Arthur snapped his head back, seeing four of the smaller goblins drawing arrows back. "Shit-" Arthur quickly threw his back against the ground, aiming at the four despite the upside view.

 _That little ammo trick better have worked!_

Taking aim, Arthur fired each gun twice each, thankful to hear that Calloway's revolver had truly reloaded after he had opened it up. The goblin archers barely had time to fire, each one eating a bullet straight in the gut, folding over and quickly dying.

Arthur rolled onto his stomach, trying to get a better view of the cave. He looked back at the hobgoblin, thankful to see Goblin Slayer cutting at it with his sword. Despite the monster's size, the armored man was able to chop off its arm without issue, making it release the log of a club it carried.

"Goddamn…" Arthur muttered, watching his companion hack away at the beast. But a small crackle from the end of the cave drew his attention, Arthur looking forward to see a light spark in the darkness. He couldn't make out the figure, but he understood.

Without wasting a moment, Arthur got to one knee, pulling back the hammers of his guns and unloading three shots out. The death cries of the goblin shaman reassured him, watching as whatever magic it was casting fade away with its life. Arthur didn't relax, shifting his aim to two barely visible figures.

An arrow whizzed past his face, but the veteran gunslinger kept his head cool. He pulled both triggers, but found that only one gun fired. Arthur couldn't help but feel like a fool. He might have reloaded Calloway's revolver, but his own had already used two shots in the previous fight. He could hear one cry out in pain but could see the shadow of one adjusting. Arthur made to quickly pop open one of his guns, but stopped when he saw a knife sail through the air, digging right into the remaining goblin.

"That's four."

Arthur looked back at Goblin Slayer. Blood trickled down his blade, the hobgoblin's decapitated head sitting by his metal boots.

"Thanks…" Arthur muttered out in grattitude, pushing off his good leg to stand up as he scanned the cave. "That all of 'em?"

"No. Some scurried back further in once you killed the shaman. Good aim," Goblin Slayer said, Arthur raising a brow at the subtle compliment. "I'm going to finish off the rest."

"Sure," Arthur nodded, pulling both gun's loading chambers open. Like before, the bullets in the Schofield popped out halfway as the chamber spun. The cattleman revolver just spun on its own, glowing with the same blue light until it stopped.

 _Guess I can't say he lied now…_

Arthur closed the guns up, following after Goblin Slayer with a short limp. The wound was fresh but not enough to slow him down too much. Like his companion had said, there were several goblins left, all crowded around a small throne of bones. Arthur narrowed his eyes at the throne, seeing a collection of human bones among it. "Jesus…"

"I'll finish them. Kill any runners," Goblin Slayer said, stalking toward the remaining goblins with blade in hand.

Arthur watched with morbid interest, holstering his offhand gun but keeping his right hand armed in case one escaped. The last of the goblins pointed short spears at Goblin Slayer, each one trembling in fear for their lives.

Their judgement was swift. Goblin Slayer swung his blade forward, cleaving one of the creatures in half at the waist. One attempted to lunge forward with its spear, only to have it deflected by Goblin Slayer's small shield. He cut that one's head off at the neck. The remaining two recoiled, backs hitting the throne as they backpedaled. Goblin Slayer ended them in one swift horizontal swing. The last one dropped its spear and attempted to flea, hoping its small feet could help it dodge Arthur. The cowboy pointed his pistol, but Goblin Slayer didn't let him kill it. Instead, he tossed a hidden knife from his belt, piercing through the goblin's skull. Arthur watched it stagger before falling to the ground, dead.

"That's nine."

"Well… that was somethin'," Arthur muttered, rubbing the scruff on his chin. "I guess we're done, then?"

"Almost," Goblin Slayer said, kicking the bone throne aside. He peeked in a hole hidden in the back. "Hm. They hadn't reproduced yet. Good."

"What were you lookin' for?" Arthur asked curiously.

"Goblin infants. They're sometimes hidden away in places like that," Goblin Slayer explained, flicking the blood off his blade before sheathing it. "None here, though."

"You'd… kill a bunch of their babies?" Arthur asked, eyes furrowing in disbelief.

"Of course. If you have an infestation, you kill it at the source. Adult or infant," Goblin Slayer answered easily enough. "If you don't, they'll carry their grudges into adulthood. They'll learn from the mistakes of their parents. Adapt to future situations. Goblins are not smart, but not completely foolish."

Arthur stood there in silence, watching as Goblin Slayer stepped past him. He took a moment to think about it before nodding. "Well… you know better than I do on the matter. You're probably right to kill 'em all, then."

"Leaving goblins unchecked, even as infants, could mean the destruction of entire villages," Goblin Slayer continued, sparing a small look back at Arthur. "If you ever invade another nest, don't hesitate. Kill them all."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Arthur nodded, seeing the logic in his words. _Guy treats 'em like a bunch of pests. Not that they gave me much reason to think different._

"What are you?"

"'Scuse me?" Arthur asked, looking back at Goblin Slayer.

"Did you take a job to eliminate the goblins? Or did wander into one of their traps?" Goblin Slayer asked, causing Arthur to scratch the hairs on his chin.

"I uh… I can't rightly say. I just… woke up here in this cave, I guess."

 _Guess it ain't a lie, in a way._

"I see. You're lucky, then. You woke up before they could tear you apart," Goblin Slayer said, turning back forward and accepting his word.

"Yeah. Lucky me…" Arthur trailed off. "So… Goblin Slayer, was it?"

"Yes."

 _Usin' titles for names. Ridiculous._ But, not wanting to be rude. Arthur gave his 'name'.

"You can… call me Gunslinger."

 **To be continued…**

 **Well, that was a big surprise. I never would have thought, after the rough start I had with the series, that I would be writing a crossover with Goblin Slayer. And with Red Dead Redemption 2 of all things. But, after beating the game, I just had to write a story based on its main character, Arthur Morgan, who has stolen my heart as one of gaming's greatest protagonists.**

 **The reason I went with Goblin Slayer in the end is actually because of the Light Novel, which is fairly unusual for me since I don't normally read light novels. But unlike a lot of the ones I've attempted to read, Goblin Slayer actually reads almost like an actual book. It gives a surprising amount of detail and thought to the characters and their perspectives on a situation, and I started to like it quite a bit. I'll likely watch the anime all the way through once it's finished as well.**

 **So yeah, this story came to me in a random bout of inspiration to have a cowboy tossed into an isekai situation. So did the idea of giving him guns that reload themselves, though not infinite in the sense that he can fire without initiating the reload action.**

 **I'm thinking of giving each gun (the revolvers will have the same skill) each their own unique skill. Something like the revolvers having one piercer round each that allows it to go through virtually anything before having to recharge for ten minutes or longer.**

 **His sniper rifle getting one tracker shot that doesn't miss its target before recharging for a long while.**

 **And maybe an ability that gives his shotgun something similar to dragons breath for a whole clip.**

 **I'm not sure. Those are just some ideas. Let me know what you guys think. I may even do a poll on whether or not he should even be given skills to his guns or if they should stay the way they are.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed. Please give me some feedback on this story as I'm truly curious as to what people think. This won't be a story with a super heavy focus like my main two, but if reception is well and I get deeper into GS, I'll give it an update when I can. Be sure to leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own neither Goblin Slayer or the Red Dead Redemption series**

Chapter 2

"We're here."

Arthur dismounted his horse, eyes wandering around the town. Goblin Slayer had lead him out of the cave safely and provided him with a 'healing potion' as he had called it. Arthur had no idea what was in there, but it patched up what wounds he had garnered from their encounter with the goblins. Soon after, Goblin Slayer did him the favor of guiding him to his town. Arthur thought it might be harder to get his help in the matter, but the armored man seemed willing and didn't ask any difficult questions. The worst he did was ask if he was an occupant of the local village, which Arthur easily denied.

The former outlaw was thankful that the villagers provided them with horses for travel, as it was a half a day's journey back to Goblin Slayer's town just by horse.

The town was nothing spectacular, though Arthur had to admit he could appreciate how rural it was. It lacked the bustle of a larger city like Saint Denis but was bigger than places like Valentine or Strawberry. Markets and carts littered the streets alongside stone buildings. It served Arthur much better than going into a larger civilization.

They had arrived just around noon. People strolled through the town leisurely, going about their own business. All the while he and Goblin Slayer strode through the entrance to what looked like a tavern from the outside.

"Oh, welcome back!"

Arthur looked forward, seeing a young blond haired woman seated behind a brown wood counter. To Arthur's moderate surprise, she was dressed much like a clerk in a train station or an office. She wore a purple vest over a white dress shirt with a frilly yellow tie.

"Hey," Was Goblin Slayer's greeting.

"How did the mission go?" She asked, giving a radiant smile as the armored man approached her desk.

"Good. The Goblins are dead."

"Of course," She giggled, looking up before widening her eyes at Arthur. "Oh, but who might your guest be?"

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I'm Ar-er, I mean… Gunslinger," Arthur coughed, quickly correcting himself. "I uh… had the good grace of bein' saved by mister Goblin Slayer here."

"Oh, I see! I'm happy to hear that someone was spared their awful abuse," the woman said with honest relief. "Oh, but before I forget, here's your pay for the mission, Goblin Slayer." she said, putting a decently sized pouch on the table.

Goblin Slayer took the sack and poured out almost half its contents into his palm, a few silver and gold coins falling out. He turned to Arthur and held out his hand.

"Here. Your cut."

Arthur and the clerk stared at Goblin Slayer, surprised by the offer.

"Y-You sure?" Arthur asked with some disbelief.

"Yes. You killed a fair amount of goblins before I arrived as well as a good number when we finished them off. You earned it," Goblin Slayer pointed out. Arthur hesitated for only a moment longer before grabbing his satchel, holding it open for Goblin Slayer to put it in.

"If you insist. Thank you," Arthur said, genuinely grateful for the money. _Not like I had anything to begin with. This might be a good start._

"Oh, so you helped kill the goblins as well? Are you an adventurer?" The woman asked curiously.

"Well… more of a wanderer than an adventurer, I 'spose. I just… happened to end up before runnin' into this feller," Arthur explained, looking at the stoic adventurer next to him.

"I see… well, I truly appreciate your help in killing the goblins. Goblin Slayer is always in a party of one considering most people leave those kind of jobs to him. No one likes to deal with goblins after all," the woman sighed, shaking her head in disappointment. "But anyways, if you need anything, feel free to ask me. You can call me Guild Girl."

"I will be sure to remember that," Arthur nodded, tipping his hat in thanks.

"Any goblin quests?" Goblin Slayer suddenly asked, causing the two to blink.

"A-Already?! But you just got back…" Guild Girl mumbled, a small frown spreading across her lips.

"He made the quest easy," Goblin Slayer said, his helmet turning ever so slightly to regard Arthur. "I didn't do a lot. I can do another."

 _Cuttin' a bunch of those critters in half 'ain't doin' much'?_ Arthur mused to himself, rubbing the short hairs on his chin.

"Well… if you say so…" Guild Girl sighed, picking up several papers and flipping through them. "Actually, yes. There is another quest in a nearby town. It's a small nest from the look of it, but since you just finished with one quest, I'm not letting you do anything more difficult!"

Arthur raised a brow, sparing a small look at Guild Girl. From the tone of her voice and the way she regarded him, she was genuinely concerned. If he had to guess, they were friends or closer. _Considerin' how this guy is though, I doubt it's that close. At least on his end._

"Okay," Was Goblin Slayer's short answer. Guild Girl smiled, quickly holding the paper out for him to take.

"Alright then, be careful on your mission! Oh, but about your paperwork…"

"I'll fill it out once I get back."

"Fine, fine~," Guild Girl sighed before bowing. "Do take care out there. Okay?"

"Yeah."

With that, Goblin Slayer turned back around. He spared Arthur a small look. With a short nod, he bid him goodbye. Arthur did the same in return, watching him as he left. As the doors left, he heard Guild Girl release a breath.

"What will I do with him…"

"Man's a regular dandy and a charmer, huh?" Arthur chuckled, causing Guild Girl to let out a small giggle.

"Y-Yes, I… suppose that he has his moments," a small tint of red dusted her cheeks. Arthur smirked, now fully convinced that the girl was rather smitten with the stoic adventure. Still, he made no mention of it, turning around and leaning back on the desk.

"So… what is this place, anyhow? Some sorta bounty station?" Arthur asked, crossing his arms as he scanned the hall. There were quite a few people scattered throughout the guild. Many were dressed in old armor and mail. To see so many people so casually strutting around in the heavy metal armor was a bit of a sight. _Then again, I'm sure I'm the one who looks strange in their eyes right now…_

"Oh, you don't know, sir? This is an adventurer's guild!" Guild Girl explained, bringing Arthur's attention back to her. "Many different people come here seeking out fame and glory by taking on odd jobs for towns. It ranges from handling small threats like large insects and rodents to clearing out goblin hordes to even slaying dragons!" Arthur snapped his head back in shock at the last possibility. "Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't know! Goblin Slayer is a silver ranked adventure in fact. Didn't you see the tag hanging from his neck?"

Arthur vaguely recalled seeing something dangling from Goblin Slayer's neck. But among the leather and steel plated armor, that seemed a small detail.

"I see… well, miss Guild Girl, I do have somethin' to admit," Arthur said, turning around to face her and lean on the oak desk. "Whatever… happened to me before wakin' up in that cave, it uh… sorta gave me amnesia. I barely remember a thing aside from my name and a few smaller things."

Guild Girl inhaled a breath, putting her hands to her mouth. "Oh, that's terrible! I wonder if you suffered from the effects of a spell or curse?"

"You know, I haven't the foggiest idea. And I was hopin' that someone could fill me in on… well, everythin' really. It wouldn't be wrong to say that I understand very little of what I've seen so far. Hell, I didn't even know what a goblin was until it tried to kill me."

Guild Girl nodded in understanding, looking down in thought. "I see… well, how about this? Why don't you stick around for a few hour and wait for me to get off my shift? You can relax in the bar or stroll around town if you like. Once I'm done, I'd be happy to help give you what information you need."

Arthur raised a brow, not expecting the generous offer from Guild Girl herself. "You sure? I mean, I truly appreciate it, I really do, but there's a lot I don't know right now."

"Of course, I would be happy to. Consider it payment for helping Goblin Slayer finish his previous task so quickly," Guild Girl explained, giving a kind smile. "He's tough of course, but he really pushes himself hard. It's nice to know that he didn't have to handle one of his quests alone for once."

 _This girl is truly smitten,_ Arthur thought, gave a small smirk. "Well, alright. If you really wouldn't mind, I would most surely appreciate it. Still, I feel I should pay you back for your time at least…"

"Oh, it's really no trouble at all," Guild Girl dismissed before a sudden thought occurred to her. "Wait, actually… there is one way you can pay me back. Just help me fill out the report regarding Goblin Slayer's mission and we'll call it square!"

"Well, if that's all, then I would not mind in the slightest, miss. Though with how you talk about it, I'm guessin' he's not one to fill out his reports too much."

"Oh, he'll do the reports when I ask, just not always in a timely manner," Guild Girl sheepishly rubbed her head.

"I understand. Man likes to keep busy," Arthur chuckled, nodding in acceptance. "But alright then. If you need it now, we can go over the details."

After spending some time describing the chain of events in the cave to Guild Girl, Arthur migrated to the bar. While he was interested in exploring the town, he didn't want to stray too far from the guild and get lost. He stood at the bar, placing a silver coin on the counter.

"A beer, please. And food if you got it." He tossed another silver coin on the table for tip.

"Mighty generous. Comin' right up," The bartender said, taking both coins with a smile.

 _I'll have to ask her how the money here works._ Arthur said, peeking back into his satchel to look at the amount he had left.

The bartender set a bottle of beer in front of him before tending to another customer. Arthur took a short swig, letting out an approving grunt. "Not bad… here I'd thought it'd be pig swill…"

"Right? I thought the same the first time I tried it."

Arthur turned to his right to see a young man leaning against the bar next to him. He sported fancy blue armor on his shoulders and arms, the metal looking far nicer than what Goblin Slayer wore. He set a long spear against the bar to his right. He had spiked peach hair on top of his head with a long ponytail that went down his back.

"I'll take a beer as well," He said, earning a nod from the bartender before he set a bottle up for him. The stranger took a swig from his bottle, letting out a satisfied breath as he set it back down. "That's some good stuff. So, you a new adventurer?"

"Not really. More of a… wanderer, I guess," Arthur said, peering at the man curiously. "I just happened to get save by one, is all."

"I see. Sounds like you've had it rough, pal," The man nodded, sipping from his bottle. "Still, you look pretty tough. Even if you don't really dress like an adventurer. Kinda reminds me of a farmer, but… nicer, I guess?"

"I suppose I'll take that as a compliment," Arthur chuckled, holding his bottle out to the man. "Gunslinger."

"Spearman. Silver ranked adventurer and Strongest on the Frontier!" The man introduced himself with a proud grin, clanking his bottle against Arthur's.

 _One of those guys, huh?_ Arthur thought with some amusement, the man's confidence reminding him a bit of Sean. "'Strongest', huh? That's a mighty big boast. You sure about that?"

"Heh! Don't underestimate me, now. It takes a lot to become a silver ranked adventurer in case you didn't know."

"I don't, actually," Arthur chuckled, sipping from his bottle as the loudmouth next to him flinched. "So then, how do you compare to that feller Goblin Slayer?"

"Eh? Goblin Slayer?" Spearman grunted with indignance. "How do you know that weirdo?"

"'Weirdo'?" Arthur repeated, turning back to Spearman. "He's quiet I 'spose, but he did save my life. Didn't seem too strange to me."

"Yeah, right. That guy's _obsessed_ with goblins," Spearman groaned, leaning back on the bar. "As someone at silver rank, he should normally be taking quests to kill stuff like dragons or demons. But he spends all of his time hunting goblins! I know it's his name, but there's a lot more to the world than hunting those weak vermin."

"They were definitely weak, but they seemed dangerous enough," Arthur shrugged, finishing off his beer. "Killin' one wasn't much of a problem, but the little bastards travel in a big pack."

"I guess, but I'm talking about how _much_ Goblin Slayer hunts those things. Which is always. He doesn't take any missions that don't involve goblins. Plus he's always walking around with that smelly, cheap armor he's always touting. Guy shoulda moved onto somethin' else by now."

"So that's what I was smellin' on the way back…" Arthur chuckled under his breath. "Still, this sounds a mite bit personal if you ask me. You sure that's all there is to it?"

Spearman visibly winced, almost as if being caught, before clicking his tongue. "I-I don't know what you're talking about. The guy's just weird…"

"Heh. Sure you don't," Arthur smirked, leaning forward on the bar as his food arrived.

"'Gunslinger', huh?" Spearman said, raising a brow curiously, his eyes drifting to the weapons strapped to Arthur's shoulders and hip. "What's-"

"Spearman."

An alluring feminine voice drew their attention away from each other, looking up to see a woman approach. She was a beautiful young woman, likely in her twenties. She had long flowing purple hair that went down her back with piercing hazel eyes. Her skin was fair and beautiful, a small but cute mole sitting at the edge of her cheek. She wore a black shoulderless dress that left nothing to the imagination when it came to her… figure. Something that Arthur hadn't seen in a woman since Karen.

"Yo. About done with your errands?" Spearman asked, picking his spear up and leaning it on his shoulder.

"Yes, I am… ready to go…" She said, her mannerism one that Arthur had never heard before. Her eyes drifted to Arthur, a small but pleasant smile crossing her lips. "Oh, but… who might… this handsome man... be?"

"A drinking buddy I just made," Spearman chuckled, sparing a look back at Arthur.

"Good to meet you, miss," Arthur said, tipping his hat in greeting. "Gunslinger."

"I am known… as Witch…" She said, touching her chin curiously. "Gunslinger… interesting… I've never heard a… name like that."

"Right? Makes me curious about those things he's totin' around," Spearman said, sparing a glance at Arthur's arsenal again. "But anyway, we should get going. We've got a ways to go, don't we?"

"Yes, we do…"

"Alright. Well, it was nice chatting with you, Gunslinger. Maybe I'll see you when I get back," Spearman smiled, giving him a small salute.

"Perhaps you shall," Arthur said, not sure where else he might be later on, anyways.

"It was… nice to meet you… Gunslinger," Witch said, giving him a suggestive wink before turning to leave with Spearman. Arthur watched the two leave for a moment before letting out a small chuckle.

"This place is just full of characters, ain't it?"

* * *

Arthur rubbed his face in exhaustion, closing a heavy book on his lap. As promised, Guild Girl had met with him after her shift. She then began to educate him about this world. It wasn't a lie to say that it had overwhelmed Arthur quite a bit. The cowboy knew the world was very different from what he knew, but he hadn't realized how much.

When people talked about race back home, they were only referring to skin color which made little to no difference to Arthur. But here, there were a **lot** of different races to know about. Elves, Dwarves, Lizardmen. That wasn't the end of the list, but they were the most prominent of the races to roam the land.

And that was only accounting for the the 'peaceful' races. Monsters of all types existed in this land. Things Arthur really would have liked to stay in a fairy tale. All things that liked to mess with small villages and towns for one reason or another. Guild Girl was kind enough to provide him with a book pertaining to the general information of said monsters and races. Though reading through it was becoming a chore as well.

She didn't give much detail on the history of the world, only speaking of some Demon Lord that had been defeated a few times before but was supposedly regaining his strength somewhere. It was all very convoluted in Arthur's opinion, but he didn't mention that. He could only sit there and learn. Or at least try to.

 _This is a whole lot stranger than I guessed._ Arthur tiredly mused to himself, leaning back in the throne chair he had been stuck in for several hours. It was getting late into the night and Guild Girl had left some time ago.

His eyes drifted to the iron keys sitting on a candle lit desk just some ways away, a porcelain tag sitting next to it.

" _Do you have a place to stay the night?"_

" _N-No, not rightly, I 'spose… is there an inn around here?"_

" _There is, but I'd hate for you to spend all of your money at once… Oh! I have an idea!"_

Arthur wasn't sure how it happened, but he was now an official 'adventurer'. While he had nothing against the idea, it had happened so quickly that it was almost unreal. Thanks to that though, Guild Girl was able to provide him with temporary rooming at the guild. She used the basis of helping Goblin Slayer as grounds for allowing an immediate allowance into the guild. This also gave him a means to make money. If anything, this was truly the best outcome he could have hoped for.

Arthur stood from the chair, rolling his shoulders out and groaning tiredly. He moved to the vanity mirror by the fireplace, taking another look at his face. What the Stranger had said about 'taking a few years off' had flown over Arthur's head the first time around. But seeing his deaged face, he now understood. He looked ten years younger than he was back home. The age and cracks in his face were gone, and he was a bit slimmer in the face. While he had seen his face earlier, it still felt bizarre to look at this young face again after what looked like ten years.

 _What am I even doin' here?_

Arthur pushed off the table and moved to the bed. That question had slipped to the forefront of his mind more than once. Despite whatever the Stranger had told him before sending him to this world, Arthur still had no clue what exactly he was expected to do. From the way the Stranger put it, in fact, he was free to approach this world in whatever way he saw fit.

 _I feel like the wrong man to be givin' that freedom to._

He kicked off his boots, putting his legs up and resting his back into the feather bed.

 _Am I supposed to be an adventurer? Is that it?_

Arthur thought of all the monsters that were described by Guild Girl and the book. As powerful as his guns were, he wasn't sure if they were fit for taking on everything listed. He doubted that he could just plug the Demon Lord full of holes and expect that to be that. So if he wasn't here to be some big hero, what was his purpose?

Arthur sighed, massaging his eyes as he felt sleep begin to take him.

 _Guess I'll just… deal with it as I go._

* * *

"Alright, everyone! I'm officially posting the quests we have for today!"

Arthur watched as an uproar of cheers echoed through the hall, blown away by the amount of excitement dripping from the adventurers. He hadn't seen a group of people so excited to work in all his years. Bill used to describe soldiers getting hyped up in such a way, calling the lot a 'bunch of damned fools' to be wanting to rush back into death like that. Not that Bill was one to talk on that matter of fools.

Arthur was in no rush, though. He waited patiently for the lines to shorten. He produced a cigarette that so happened to be stuffed in his satchel, striking one of the few matches he had left and lighting it up. Part of him wondered just when he would run out of both items, but neither seemed like a great concern at the moment.

As the crowd stagnated, Arthur took the chance to step up to the board of jobs. Despite the massive amount of people earlier, there were still plenty of quests left up to pursue. Though Arthur soon realized his mistake.

"Damn it… most of those folk were porcelain ranked," He grumbled, realizing how few were actually left for him to take. Examining those closely, he could see why they were left behind. Some were just basic handy jobs with little to no actual action. Arthur knew he shouldn't be picky, but he wasn't going to get piss pay for shoveling pig shit.

Arthur's gaze trailed to other jobs. Ones labeled for higher ranked adventures like obsidian, ruby, sapphire, bronze and more. Guild Girl had explained the ranking system and how many different ranks there were in total. Arthur had to wonder why they would need so many, but hesitated to comment on it due to still knowing so little about the world.

His eyes moved from the board to Guild Girl, the clerk taking a small breather after having dealt with a good number of adventurers.

"Mornin', miss," Arthur called out, moving to speak with the clerk.

"Oh, good morning, mister Gunslinger! How was your room?" She asked with gentle smile.

"It was quite fine, thank you again for your help with that."

"Of course. I was happy to help. Thank you for giving me such detail as to what happened with the mission you and Goblin Slayer worked together on," Guild Girl nodded. "So, is there something I can do for you?"

"Yeah, I… uh… I hate to ask, but… even though I'm porcelain ranked, can I take higher level jobs?"

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow that. Not unless you're grouped together with a higher ranked adventurer," Guild Girl explained, earning a small sigh from Arthur. "I know some of the jobs posted are rather menial, but it's for the safety of new adventurers. We don't want to throw a new group of kids into the lion's den right off the bat. Though even some of the porcelain ranked missions end up that way, anyways."

"They do? How you mean?" Arthur asked curiously. Guild Girl frowned, looking up at the jobs board.

"Well… certain monsters and beasts are treated as smaller problems. Enough to the point that some of them are seen as fit for being dealt with by porcelain ranks. That would include goblins," Arthur raised a brow at that. "It might sound strange, but it's true. Because individual goblins are so weak, they're treated as small threats. But… the system doesn't account for the fact that they alway travel in hordes and often have numbers in the dozens. Not to mention the special goblins. Don't get me wrong, in some cases, the nest of goblins is small enough to not be a threat, but..."

"That ain't always the case. So basically, the system decidin' what kinda threat they are is broken," Arthur put it bluntly, with Guild Girl silently nodding. "Ain't that just dandy… how many new folk you lose to missions like that?"

"... more than I'd like to admit."

Guild Girl frowned, looking down at her hands with regret. The cowboy struggled to find a comforting word for the clerk. He looked back at the board. He saw several porcelain ranked missions revolving around goblins sitting on there.

"Even though… others like to look down on him for it," Arthur peered back at Guild Girl, a gentle smile on her lips. "Goblin Slayer is doing a great service by taking those kind of jobs. Most higher ranked adventurers will leave them alone, seeing them as pests rather than threats. But goblins have devastated a lot of villages in their wake. So… I'm really happy that we have someone like Goblin Slayer around."

Arthur stared at Guild Girl, her admiration for him becoming more apparent by the second. Arthur couldn't stop a laugh, drawing her attention back to him. "I-I'm sorry, but… I don't think I seen a young lady so infatuated in some time."

 _Except for maybe that Braithwaite girl._

"E-Eh?! I-I-"

The guild doors swung open, causing the two to pause and look back. Like magic, the topic of conversation made his appearance.

"G-Goblin Slayer!" Guild Girl exclaimed before she could help herself, cheeks dusted red. "Y-You're back. How did the quest go?"

"They're all dead. I finished last night and went home. I filled out the report, too," Goblin Slayer said shortly, handing a small parchment to Guild Girl.

"O-Oh, thank you! I'll go get your reward then," Guild Girl said, jogging to the back room.

Goblin Slayer turned slightly, looking at Arthur and giving a small nod. "You're here."

"So it would seem," Arthur nodded. "Guild Girl helped me out quite a lot. Made me an adventurer and all."

"I see."

"Yeah, things've been… goin' strangely good. Thanks again, partner."

"Yeah."

Arthur waited for something more but never got it. He let out a small laugh.

"You're not the greatest conversationalist, are you?"

"No. Sorry."

"Well, we all have our hang ups…" Arthur trailed off, scratching the hairs on his chin. Guild Girl soon came back, placing a bag of coins on the table.

"Thank you as always for your hard work, Goblin Slayer," Guild Girl said with an appreciative smile.

"Yeah. Are there any goblin quests today?"

"Yeah, a couple, but… there's one I think you should look at," Guild Girl said, drawing Arthur's attention to her in interest. She flipped through some of the papers on her desk, picking one out and putting it in front of the stoic adventurer.

"It's a ruby ranked quest. We got it last night and I saw it this morning when I came in. It's a big emergency call for help for a village that found goblin tracks outside the village in the night."

"I see. The goblins are preparing to raid the village, then," Goblin Slayer said, Guild Girl giving a solemn nod. "Do they have an idea on how many?"

"N-Not entirely, only that an attack is imminent They guessed at thirty, maybe forty. It could be more though. I… I wasn't sure about this, but apparently… a few girls have already been kidnapped," Guild Girl explained. "If you leave within an hour or two, you'll be able to get to the village before nightfall. Maybe you'll get more information before the goblins strike."

"I see. I'll do it, then."

"So that's that, huh? You're just gonna… go and kill thirty to forty goblins? Just like that?" Arthur asked, raising a brow in mild disbelief.

"Yeah." He answered without hesitation. "It's not many more than what we slew in that cave. Though if they're preparing for a raid, they will likely have more than what the villagers suspect."

"Just peachy…" Arthur sighed, rubbing the hairs on his chin.

"I have to go prepare," Goblin Slayer said, helmet shifting to Guild Girl.

"O-Okay. Be safe…" She answered, worry coloring her eyes. Arthur looked back up at Goblin Slayer, the stoic adventurer sparing him a short look before turning around and beginning to leave.

 _Well… I gotta start somewhere._

"Hey," Guild Girl looked back up at Arthur reluctantly. "This quest pay well?"

"Huh?" Guild Girl blinked before looking down at the paper. "Y-Yes, quite a few gold coins. B-But why…"

"Gotta make some money, don't I?" Arthur reasoned before looking back at Goblin Slayer. "Mind if I join you?"

"Eh?" Guild Girl yelped in surprise, blinking. "B-But Gunslinger, that's..."

"Look, I'd rather get a start workin' with someone who knows what they're doin'. Who better, really?"

"No."

Their heads snapped forward, looking at Goblin Slayer in disbelief.

"What? Why the hell not?" Arthur asked in confusion.

"Your guns. They're too loud," Goblin Slayer said plainly, causing Arthur to look down at the weapons in question. "They're powerful and good for a straight fight. But with the numbers involved, we'll need a quiet approach. We can't go loud until we've eliminated a good portion of them."

Arthur could see the logic behind his words. "Well, I can't rightly argue that point… but lucky for you, I can use a few things other than my guns. Plenty of stuff for the silent approach."

"Like?"

"I'll need to buy some things, but I can throw knives easy enough. I know how to use a bow and arrow. Don't know how to use a sword, but I can manage with somethin' like a knife or axe up close."

Goblin Slayer stared at him silently, his thoughts unreadable with his helmet blocking his face. He then reached for his belt, pulling out one of the knives he had stashed within it and holding it out.

"Show me."

Arthur understood, taking the knife and turning to the wall opposite of them. He flipped it around in his hand, grabbing the blade before throwing it with expert precision, the knife digging into the wood by the front entrance. Guild Girl let out a small peep in surprise, causing Arthur to look back at her.

"Uh… sorry about the wall," He then looked back at Goblin Slayer. "So we goin'?"

"... Yeah."

* * *

Arthur followed Goblin Slayer inside a metal shop. The cowboy spared a look around, old weapons and armor littering the walls. Just ahead of them a stout bearded man worked away on a sword, sparks flying as he pressed the blade into a smoother.

"You again. What's it this time?" The blacksmith huffed, pulling the blade away from the grinding stone as he moved to the counter.

"I need a few things."

"Of course you do. And what-" The blacksmith stopped when he noticed Arthur, the cowboy looking at him patiently. "The hell're you?"

"Just a concerned fool that's partnerin' up with him to kill some goblins," Arthur said, walking up alongside Goblin Slayer. "Need some throwin' knives. A bow and a quiver full of arrows too, if you got 'em."

"Course I got 'em! What do you take me for?!" The smith grunted, motioning toward the far corner of the room. "If you don't want anythin' fancy, you'll find both over there."

"Got it. Thanks," Arthur moved to grab what he could.

"You should get some armor, too," Goblin Slayer said, Arthur hesitating for a moment to consider it.

"... Naw, I'm alright. I need to be able to move around and swing my arms freely," Arthur shook his head. "I ain't ever wore armor neither so it'd throw me off."

"How about some chainmail, then?" The smith suggested, drawing Arthur's attention back. "If you're too much of a maid for armor, at least that stuff will keep you from gettin' stabbed. It'll stop goblin arrows and spears, considering their shoddy craftsmanship. Won't help much against a hobgoblin or magic, though."

"Well… some protection is better than nothin'. I'll take some," Arthur agreed.

"How about a helmet as well? Somethin' to replace that funny hat of yours."

"Funny?!" Arthur replied indignantly before scoffing. "Whatever. I wouldn't do that anyway. I need the field of vision and freedom to move my head. Otherwise I won't be able to use these things that great," He said, drawing his revolver.

"I see," Goblin Slayer nodded in understanding.

"Hold up, lemme see that," The smith said. "That's a strange little weapon yer carryin'."

"Sorry, but I ain't handin' these over. Might accidentally shoot someone's eye out," Arthur said, causing the blacksmith to frown.

"It's deadly. I've seen him use it," Goblin Slayer added.

"Bah, fine! Brats…" The smith grumbled, turning back around. He hesitated for a moment before looking at Arthur again. "If yer not gonna ditch the hat, the least I could do is fit it with a metal cap. It won't completely absorb a hit to the head, but it'll make things like rocks bounce off at least. Dependin' on where they hit ya, of course."

"Rocks?"

"Goblins hurl rocks with slingshots," said Goblin Slayer. "If you're not going to wear a helmet, that would be a decent alternative."

"Hm… okay. Let's do it then," Arthur said, placing his hat on the table.

With the coins he had left, Arthur purchased a shirt of chain mail that went under his blue striped shirt and some mail under his pants. It wasn't super constricting or heavy, though the cowboy knew he'd have to get used to walking around with it on. His hat was noticeably heavier now thanks to the cap inside it, but was laced with leather on the inside to keep it comfortable.

"Welp… I got most of what I need. Anything else?" Arthur asked, wrapping the wooden bow around his shoulder. He was running out of room to carry things, but would stash one of his guns away on the horse given to him by the village once they left.

"A close range weapon." Goblin Slayer pointed out.

"Ah, right… let's see…" Arthur gave it some thought. At close range, he couldn't picture himself swinging around a sword. He guessed that some skill was involved rather than just hacking and slashing. With that in mind, he figured out his next best option:

"Got any hatchets? I need somethin' that'll cut good but is light in hand in case I need to throw it."

"Ho~. A hatchet's a good choice, boy." The blacksmith dug under his desk, pulling out a reasonably sized short handled axe that looked similar to a tomahawk, though it lacked their peace pipe and design. "That work?"

"That works just fine, mister," Arthur nodded, picking it up and feeling the grip. It was smoothed out and easy to hold, a leather strip wrapped around the handle. "I think that's about all I need."

"I have several antidotes for the poison should one of us be stabbed. Let's go." Goblin Slayer said, turning around and taking his leave, a leather bundle under his arm containing the cheap weapons he had picked out and purchased for himself.

"Thank you for the service, old timer," Arthur said, tipping his hat to the blacksmith before walking after his partner. The elderly man watched them leave before grumbling to himself.

"Strange fellow. Though if he's teamin' up with that boy, I suppose it makes sense…"

"We headin' out now?" Arthur asked as he stepped up to his horse, stuffing the Rolling Block rifle and lever action shotgun into its saddle.

"I need to speak with an alchemist. I have one more thing to buy."

"Okay…" Arthur muttered, unsure what an alchemist was but deciding not to push it. "What you need, exactly?"

"Gasoline."

"Gas? You have that here?" Arthur asked, brow raising in confusion. Gas wasn't discovered until the 1600's if what Hosea had told him was true. Definitely nowhere near the times of knights.

"No. The alchemist makes it for me," Was his answer. "It's expensive, but effective."

"Alright… whatcha need it for?"

"Setting goblins on fire."

"I don't know why I even asked…" Arthur trailed off before pausing. "How much you gettin'?"

"A flask or two of it." said the stoic adventurer.

"That's it? The hell're you gonna do with so little?"

"Douse a hobgoblin with it and roll it into other goblins. I can't afford more than that."

"Then you're approachin' this all wrong, buddy," Goblin Slayer stopped, looking back at Arthur in confusion. "You don't need to waste money on somethin' like gas. Go cheaper and spend it on somethin' like liquor."

"Liquor?" Goblin Slayer's helmet tilted ever so slightly in question.

"That's right. We just gotta get some strong spirits or whiskey. Got one of those?"

"... I don't know what whiskey is. But we can purchase spirits at a general store."

"Perfect. Show me where one is and I'll handle the rest," Arthur said. Goblin Slayer stared for a long moment in thought before giving a small nod.

"Okay."

* * *

The orange sun was beginning to set. Two goblins stationed outside a cave eagerly tapped their spears on the ground, both anticipating the upcoming raid. Thoughts of the fun they would soon enjoy passed through their minds. Their mouths lathered with spit, hunger and lust dripping from them. They had spotted several fat men and appetizing children in the village during their scouting trip. Not to mention many desirable females ripe for the taking.

The few women they had captured in the night were still being passed around inside the cave, leaving the goblin guards to resent their exclusion from the fun. But that would soon end once they commenced their attack. Once dusk was upon them, drums would echo and torches would illuminate the dark night. And a village would soon burn to the ground.

So consumed in their thoughts, neither noticed the small rustling in the bushes just ahead of them. And before they could react, two arrows flew through the air. Their bodies fell back into the stone wall of the cave entrance. Neither goblin had even a moment to call for help as they fell dead on the ground.

"That's two," Goblin Slayer said, he and Arthur rising from the foliage and slowly approaching the cave.

"Only a few dozen more to go," Arthur mumbled, putting the bow on his shoulder. "Okay, next step. Gotta draw 'em out."

"Goblins carry horns in case of intruders," Goblin Slayer said, pulling a hollow ram horn from the hip of one of the fallen goblins. "We can draw a good number out by sounding it."

"Perfect. Let's see…" Arthur peered around them. There were a few rocks large enough to hide behind, much to Arthur's pleasure. "Okay. Let's put their bodies a little more forward. Once we sound the horn and they come runnin' out, you give the signal to start. You'll know when just enough of 'em have come out, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright then. Let's get this done," Arthur dragged one of the goblin corpses a few meters ahead of the cave, Goblin Slayer doing the same. They jogged back to their hiding spots on opposite sides of the out from behind, Arthur gave a nod. Goblin Slayer put the horn under his visor, pulling out the armor at the bottom before blowing hard.

The horn's tune was deep and loud. Arthur had no doubt that the entire nest heard the call. He patiently waited, pulling a bottle out from his jacket. Using one of his few remaining matches, Arthur lit the end of a cloth sticking out of a decent sized spirit. Goblin Slayer seemed to manage with a flint on his side.

Growls echoed from the cave, Arthur peering around the edge as he waited for them to get closer. A flood of goblins trotted out of the cave, each one snarling in confusion and anger as they stepped forward. Arthur counted at least fifteen to twenty of them.

They saw their kin's dead bodies, approaching them cautiously. Looking up at Goblin Slayer's spot, the stoic adventure gave a nod of confirmation. Nodding back, they both stepped out.

Raising the bottles in their hands, Arthur and Goblin Slayer flung them with great force. Each bottle flew at the middle of bundled up goblins, the bottles exploding into a brilliant burst of flame.

The result was perfect. The hot glass and alcohol rained down on them. The goblin let out piercing wails of pain, fire spreading across each and every one of them. Arthur drew his hatchet, slowly approaching the crowd with Goblin Slayer doing the same on his side. While a good number of them were being consumed by the fire, some were less affected, scrambling around as they tried to put out the fires that were burning on their arms or clothes.

One goblin found its head split in half as Arthur chopped down with the hatchet. He had to approve of the blacksmith's work, his axe much sharper than he realized. He watched Goblin Slayer decapitate another with one swift swing. The fire was doing its job, reducing their work to crowd control.

The smell that rose from the fire filled Arthur's senses, the cowboy wrinkling his nose as burnt goblin flesh fouling the air he breathed.

"That was effective," Goblin Slayer said, walking over to Arthur. "Good idea."

"'Course. Just remember that alcohol burns good enough for what you want," Arthur nodded, putting the axe back at his side. "You count exactly how many we got?"

"Twenty three in total so far," Goblin Slayer said. "Not too many goblins should be left."

"Good. We goin' in or gonna try and lure 'em out?"

"We'll go in. The fire is visible from inside. They won't have anymore come out if a shaman is among them," Goblin Slayer explained, pulling an unlit torch out and using a burning corpse to light it.

"Yeah, makes sense. I'm sure they'll be waitin' for us now, too," Arthur sighed, unwrapping the shotgun from his shoulder. This would be the first time using it since coming here, so the reload function was still unknown to him. He lifted the lever, a light reflecting the ones his handguns glowed with filled the chamber. It was a short wait, only one second, before it allowed him to close it back up. "Alright. Ready."

Goblin slayer took the lead with his torch. "Watch the walls. There may be another tunnel that leads to another area. If we miss it, we'll get attacked from behind."

"Right. I'll keep an eye out."

The two strode through the cave cautiously. Arthur kept his gun up as he tried to adjust to the darkness. He listened intently for any sound throughout the cave. While the goblins might have exposed themselves the first time around, this was different. They had been curious. Now, they're on guard.

Goblin Slayer came to a stop, silently raising a fist to tell Arthur to stop. Arthur kept his shotgun trained forward, looking for the slightest hint of movement. But Goblin Slayer shook his head, motioning for him to lower the gun. Arthur scrunched his brow in question but followed his lead. As soon as Arthur lowered his gun, the stoic adventurer drew a knife from his belt and sent it flying forward. In the darkness, a strangled cry rang out, causing the cowboy widen his eyes.

"You saw that thing?"

"24. And no. I heard it and guessed."

"Good guess, I 'spose…" Arthur muttered as they continued forward. Walking several meters, the two saw the goblin lying on the ground, its body twitching in pain as it had yet to be finished, the knife sticking out of its gut.

"A scout. Sent to see who is coming," Goblin Slayer said, kneeling down and pulling the knife from its stomach before immediately lodging it in the monster's head. "We still have some element of surprise."

"Not much we can do with it in this tight space, though. They'll see us comin' pretty easy..." Arthur noted, his gaze trailing to the side.

But then he noticed it. Another tunnel formed just to their left. As Arthur was about to inform his companion, a large and dark figure stepped toward them.

"Ah shit-watch out!" Arthur moved to pull up his shotgun, only to get back handed into the wall for his troubles. He let out a grunt of pain, falling on his stomach with a thud.

Goblin Slayer moved quick, his short sword in hand as he lunged at the hobgoblin. His blade pierced its shoulder but missed its intended target, the hobgoblin growling before using its other arm to reach out and grip the warrior's arm.

Arthur didn't let it. He rolled onto his back and produced a throwing knife, lodging it into the monster's neck. The hobgoblin coughed out in pain, unable to scream for help. Goblin Slayer wrenched his blade out from its shoulder before digging it back into its chest. The hobgoblin convulsed in pain, its weak cries coming out choked, before falling to the ground, dead.

Arthur, pushed off the ground, letting out a pained groan. "Big bastard… Guess that makes 25, though."

"Are you hurt?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Nah, I'm… I'm okay. Just a little annoyed," Arthur mumbled, dusting off his chest. "Can't believe I didn't notice that tunnel 'til too late."

"It happens. The darkness hid it well," Goblin Slayer reasoned, moving to the tunnel and letting his torch shine down it. He pulled out one of the molotov cocktails that Arthur made, kicking the hobgoblin's body to the bottom of the tunnel before flinging it directly at its body, causing flames to erupt. Despite the blaze building from the hobgoblin, no sounds echoed from within the tunnel.

"This is likely where the first group came from that we killed. This hobgoblin remained behind. None are left"

"That where the scout came from, too?"

"Doubtful. He was likely sent by the shaman," Goblin Slayer shook his head. "Let's push forward."

"Sure."

Arthur and Goblin Slayer pushed further into the cave, the path beginning to narrow again. After some time and silence, Goblin Slayer held up a hand, making Arthur stop again.

"It opens up here."

"Guess we'll have to watch out for a repeat o' last time," Arthur muttered, aiming his shotgun forward. "I got an idea… toss another molotov at the mouth."

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see. On my word, toss. Get ready to cover your ears, though," Arthur kept the shotgun trained forward, eyes narrowing as he waited for Goblin Slayer to get ready. The stoic adventurer did as he was told, pulling another bottle out and rearing it back. "Throw!"

Goblin Slayer gave a quick toss, the bottle soaring through the air and easy to see thanks to the flaming cloth. When the bottle looked deep enough, Arthur pulled the trigger, the explosive blast from his shotgun almost as loud as thunder in this small cave.

Fire and glass erupted in the air, falling like debris from an active volcano and spewing across the darkness. The cries of goblins echoed through the air, moving around like lit candles through the cave.

Seeing their chance, Goblin Slayer and Arthur pushed forward into the cave. Goblin Slayer tossed the torch at the center of the room, giving Arthur more visibility.

The cowboy quickly turned a corner, anticipating a hobgoblin waiting to ambush them from the right like before. But this time, it was hopelessly batting away fire that caught on its skin. Arthur smirked, taking aim and blasting a large hole in its head, quickly cocking the lever action before turning to the rest of the remaining goblins.

Their roles from their first hunt seemed to be switched this time, as Goblin Slayer dug a knife into the gut of a shaman at the back of the cave. The remaining goblins inside, only about six aside from the special ones, were scattered and hopeless in attempting to put out the fire that caught on their bodies.

Arthur felt a small sense of pity for the goblins, pointing his shotgun forward to put the remaining ones out of their misery.

"H-Help…"

Arthur looked back up, the voice so weak but clearly human and female. Narrowing his eyes, he could make out some bodies on the ground in the corner of the moved forward slowly, blasting goblin that tried to get close to him with a quick shotgun blast.

As the bodies became more visible, Arthur felt his stomach begin to churn in disgust. His eyes widened in disgust and shock. Three girls lay on the ground, bare naked and terribly bruised. Scratch marks covered their bodies and the inside of their thighs were bruised beyond belief.

"Jesus… Wh-What…"

"H-Help… us…" one of them whispered out, pulling Arthur from his stupor. He quickly knelt at their sides, though struggled to figure out what to do.

"I-It's okay, miss. You're safe now. They're all dead," Arthur said, trying to reassure one young woman as he reached a hand out hesitantly. "W-We'll get you all outta here, back to your families."

Arthur looked around for something, anything he could use to carry the girls out with. He looked to Goblin Slayer to inform him of the surviving girls, but the stoic adventurer was busy looking behind a throne of bones not unfamiliar to Arthur.

"They've spawned."

"What?" Arthur called out, walking through the cave toward him. "Forget whatever that is, we gotta get these girls outta-"

"They've **spawned**." Goblin Slayer said, tossing the throne aside to a small opening. Arthur narrowed his eyes, walking up next to him and peering inside. Inside was what he easily guessed were goblin infants. They were smaller than the ones they had killed, their features less developed and stubbier.

"I have to kill them," Goblin Slayer said, taking a step forward with his short sword.

"Wait… just wait a moment…" Arthur said, grabbing his shoulder and causing Goblin Slayer to hesitate. For a moment, the stoic adventurer expected the cowboy to try and stop them.

But Arthur's eyes trailed back to the battered and raped women laid out on the ground, barely hanging on to life. He felt a familiar anger build up inside of him, one that begged for him to act out one of his more natural instincts.

He decided to indulge himself.

Arthur pulled out the last molotov cocktail he had left. He used the last of his remaining matches and lit the cloth. The goblin infants cowered back, huddling together.

"I didn't totally get what you meant before… about killin' 'em all so they don't come back. Even the pups. It sounded damn cruel."

Arthur's eyes trailing up to the infants without an ounce of sympathy.

"But now I do."

"Good." Goblin Slayer took a step back, allowing Arthur to do the honor.

He reeled his arm back before putting the bottle hard, the glass and flames bursting above the goblin infants. They cried out pathetically in pain, their inhuman death throes filling the cave. Arthur slung his shotgun onto his shoulder, watching the blaze for one moment before moving to the women.

"We gotta get these girls outta here," Arthur said, rubbing his chin as he tried to think of the best way to carry them out.

"The shaman often has a chair for the other goblins to carry him on. We can use that to carry one on," Goblin Slayer suggested, his helmet peering around the room. It was only another moment before they found it, putting one girl on it while Goblin Slayer and Arthur carried a girl on their back each, proceeding to move out of the cave.

"You did well," Goblin Slayer said, though Arthur couldn't stop to look back at him as he held the chair from the front.

"Thanks. I uh… just kinda wish we got here sooner…" Arthur trailed off, looking at the girl leaned over his shoulder with remorse.

"It's a common occurrence. One that won't stop until all goblins are dead," his companion answered, before pausing. "But… they at least survived."

"I don't know about that…" Arthur muttered. It wasn't long until they finally reached the exit, and the two warriors returned the scarred women back to their village.

Thus marking the end of the first of many quests that Gunslinger and Goblin Slayer would venture together on.

 **To be continued…**

 **Well, I have to say, I was NOT expecting the huge reception I got from the first chapter. I mean seriously, I was barely expecting a quarter of what I got. Both the GS and RDR crossover sections are pretty low in number of stories, so I figured it would be something that sort of flew under the radar. Boy how wrong I was. But not unwelcome! Thank you to everyone who gave their thoughts and showed their support for this stories continuance!**

 **I got a lot more written here than I was expecting. I've honestly been thinking of keeping the word count of these chapters below 7k, but this ended up stretching past that quite easily.**

 **Anyways, onto the story, we have finally established Arthur's place in all this. Thanks to a kindly Guild Girl and a indifferent Goblin Slayer, Arthur was able to find a place to settle into. Not to mention pick up some work. He also got a real look at what goblins are truly capable of, and let's just say that it brought out a more… ruthless part of him.**

 **It'll be a funny time for him as things continue. One being the odd looks for becoming Goblin Slayer's first party member, and two because he actually doesn't mind working with him, despite everyone else's reservations.**

 **Also, to clear something up for everyone, he hasn't replaced Priestess. He's simply been planted pre-Priestess introduction. Whether or not things turn out the same for her will be revealed later on.**

 **Just on a smaller note, there is one detail I myself am a little iffy on. It does seem to me that adventurers like High Elf and her company actually do stay at the guild while they're there since they are from out of town. I used that as a way to give Arthur a place to stay, but do correct me if this is wrong. Just something small, but nonetheless important I feel.**

 **Do go easy on me as I am still just getting into Goblin Slayer lol.**

 **Anyways, with that done, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. This was a fun little intro chapter into the budding relationship between Goblin Slayer and Arthur. Time will tell how they stay connected and why Arthur decides to keep working with him.**

 **Please leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own neither Goblin Slayer or Red Dead Redemption 2**

Chapter 3

Goblins might have lacked intelligence like that of a human, but the special goblins, mostly their shamans, were at least able to talk and process in a similar capacity to one. In some cases, they might even be smarter. But with that intelligence came stories. Stories of heroes and murderers of their kind. People who were known throughout the dark forces of the Demon Lord's army for killing other hordes.

One hero in particular stuck out among the chatter involving goblins. A man given the simple yet nerving title of Goblin Slayer. Uttering his name in the presence of even lesser goblins would rile them up, thirsty for his blood. Goblins may not have been smart, but they remember what grudges to hold. And should the Goblin Slayer ever be caught, the horde that capture him would break him in every way they could imagine before killing him.

But the thought of having to fight the monster would send a chill up any goblin's spine. It was almost an instinctual fear. For the Goblin Slayer had honed his skills in the past four years by simply killing all manner of goblins over and over again. One horde might think it's the one to put him down once he finally finds them, but the next night that same horde will be in a pile of burnt corpses.

But still, a shaman must maintain its command over their horde. Any sign of weakness, and their horde will move on to follow another. But not before killing him, of course. So when the scout the shaman sent out came back and told him that the Goblin Slayer had come for their horde, he knew better than to hide in his cave. Instead of waiting, the shaman ordered for his troops to march forward, hoping to catch the Goblin Slayer unprepared at the mouth of their cave. He might have been strong, but could one man take on close to fifty goblins in an open field?

But that was the shaman's first mistake. He had assumed that it would only be Goblin Slayer waiting for him outside.

The moment his servants had flooded out, it happened. The smell of alcohol filled the air. Barrels of spirits bursted above the goblin horde, drenching them all. And then, fire and glass rained down upon them. The sound of small explosions rang through the air one after another. Before the shaman knew it, the hobgoblins at his side had holes in their head big enough to see through. The shaman acted quick, jumping from his throne chair and hiding amongst the crowd of goblins.

"You weren't lyin'! Didn't think we'd get the whole damn cave to come flyin' out!" Arthur laughed, hatchet in hand as he lobbed the head off of a burning goblin that approached him.

"Goblins normally have a greater advantage with their numbers in an open space." Goblin Slayer bashed the head of another with his shield. "And they assume I work alone."

"Guess they wouldn'ta been wrong not too long ago!"

Another loud bang. The unknown man had a strange weapon in his off hand. The shaman observed him from the panicking crowd of goblins, watching as the man put a hole in another one's head.

 _He's the one…the unknown... kill him! KILL HIM!_

The shaman shook off its fear, grabbing the neck of one if its grunts to use as a cover as it took aim with its staff. It chanted in its native tongue. But before it could finish the job, a knife flew into its arm, causing it to drop the staff and let out a wail of pain.

"Found the shaman."

"Good eye. Let's kill the little bastard," Arthur grunted, taking aim and firing. The shaman's instincts saved it, using its servant to take the bullet. Though the bullet ended up going through and piercing his hand. The shaman hissed in pain, seeing little option but to retreat and aiming to run back into the cave. But before it could go too far, a rope suddenly wrapped around its waist, jerking it backward through the air.

"Where do you think you're goin', partner?" Arthur huffed, quickly reeling the shaman back in before it could escape. Its fingers dragged painfully across the ground, blood trailing from its fingers as it struggled. As it was pulled out of the cave, Arthur took a heavy stomp down on its back, crushing its ribs and keeping it from running away.

"How many left?" Arthur called out, looking back as he casually opened his revolver for a reload.

"Not many. Most are burning and dying," was Goblin Slayer's answer, hacking through the gut of another goblin.

"Got it. I'll finish this off, then," Arthur nodded. Through the blood choked groans, Arthur heard the shaman let out incoherent sounds and noises. "You know… makes me wonder if that's some spell you're cookin' up or just some of your garbled language. Well, guess it don't matter."

Arthur chambered up the revolver again, taking aim at the shaman before it could finish whatever it was attempting to grumble out and putting a hole in its head, splattering its brains across the stone ground.

"Shaman's dead," Arthur said, turning back around and taking aim at one of the few goblins still twitching with life. He fired his gun several times, reassuring them both that the last of the goblins were completely dead. Goblin Slayer's helmet slowly turned, scanning the remaining corpses for any life.

"So are the rest of them. Forty seven in total."

"I'd call that a good day o' killin' goblins," Arthur holstered his revolver, hanging his hands from his belt. "Good idea with the barrels. Worked even better than I expected."

"When you showed me the potency of alcohol, it only made sense," Goblin Slayer nodded.

"Fair enough. Sure doesn't help with the smell, though."

"No. But regardless, effective." Goblin slayer turned back to Arthur. "Good work."

"Same to you, partner. Now let's get outta here and get a drink," Arthur suggested, taking a step past the burning goblins.

"Wait. I need to check the cave," Goblin Slayer said, turning around and heading into the mouth. "There could be infants."

"I doubt it if they all came out like this, but… whatever, go ahead. Keep an eye out in case one of 'em lagged or snuck off," Arthur sighed, moving the cave wall and leaning back. Goblin Slayer gave a silent nod before going inside.

"Even when the job's done, he's workin'. Heh."

* * *

 _ **Been a while since I wrote in a journal. Hadn't realized how much I missed writing until I spotted one in the market. I'm happy to have it.**_

 _ **It's been a month since I came to this world. Been working with this guy called Goblin Slayer. He's got a one-track mind, but the man sure puts in work. I woulda liked him as a member of the gang. Quiet, but fights good and hard. Kinda reminds me of Charles, but… more broken.**_

 _ **Not that I'm one to talk. I'm just better at hiding it. Not that he tries.**_

 _ **Before I realized it, we sorta formed a 'party' as others call it. Guy comes in, we go goblin hunting. I'm used to working this often and this hard, that's no problem. Been giving me lots of experience and time to learn about the world. At this point, I daresay I'm an expert at killing goblins. When we work together, it's like clockwork.**_

 _ **Only problem is, it doesn't pay well. Only reason our first job together paid so good was because I guess some adventurer left money for the town in case of emergency. Still, I've made some decent money over time. I don't need much, but I need enough for food, equipment upkeep and to pay for my room among other things. I think I might branch out a little, see what other jobs I can work.**_

 _ **Gonna need to get a promotion. Might be hard to do that only killing goblins. Hate to leave Goblin Slayer hanging, but he's been doing that job for years without me. I'm sure he won't care one way or another.**_

 _ **Did I mention that there are TWO MOONS in this place? A green one and a red one. I swear, I still go outside and stare sometimes.**_

Arthur closed up his new journal and stuffed it into his satchel. He thankfully had the pencil he was used to carrying around before coming to this world. Not only because it gave him something to write with on the go, but also because it seemed that he was becoming the technical inventor of the pencil in this world. When seeking out a way to make one for when his current pencil would run out, a carpenter took a particular interest in it, and offered to help make more and reproduce them as a business. Stylus's were often used for on the go writing, but a pencil was far less messy and easier to hold by comparison.

Arthur was fine with that, and suggested that if there was money to be made, all he wanted was a percent of the take. Since he wouldn't be doing much work aside from giving the idea, he was fine with a 20 percent cut of profits. Something the carpenter was more than happy to accept. It would take time and some money to start, but graphite was cheap to buy even in large amounts. Even if the idea didn't take off, they wouldn't lose too much money in the process. Even on the low end of possible sales, Arthur and the carpenter would likely make a decent amount of coin.

 _Here's hopin' for a little cash on the side._

Arthur slung his guns on his back and left his room, stretching his arms out and cracking his shoulders. Digging into his jacket pocket, Arthur produced a leather pouch, pulling out a freshly rolled cigarette and popping it into his mouth. He walked over to a candle that was left lit in the hall and lit the end.

 _Tobacco here ain't bad. Now if only I could get one of them alchemists to figure out how to make matches._

The thought was often reoccurring in his mind, but only briefly. Blowing a puff of smoke, Arthur let the cigarette hang from the edge of his mouth as he proceeded forward and headed down the stairs of the guild.

"Ah, good morning, Mr. Gunslinger!" He heard Guild Girl's kind voice.

"Mornin' to ya, ma'am," Arthur greeted back, tipping the end of his hat as he looked down at her from the stairs. "Has our mutual friend arrived yet?"

"No, not yet. I'm sure he'll be in soon, though," Guild Girl smiled back.

Arthur nodded, moving to the quest board and glossing his eyes across it. "Well, I guess he don't normally gotta be here early as possible to get his hands on a goblin quest, huh?"

"Considering his competition, I suppose not," Guild Girl giggled, Arthur sharing a small laugh.

"Let's see… got a few regular ol' huntin' quests up here, huh?" Arthur mused in interest. If there was anything he was already good at, it was hunting animals.

"Of course! Some adventurers do like big game hunt as opposed to fighting demons and dragons," Guild Girl nodded before blinking. "Oh, are you thinking of taking one up?"

"Yeah, I need to get out there a bit. Huntin' goblins with Goblin Slayer has been workin' well so far, but I need to give a few other things a try. Plus, ain't much money in huntin' goblins. At least not when we're workin' together on it," Arthur answered honestly, rubbing the scruff of his chin as he inspected the board closely. Some of the beasts were things he'd only read about in some of the books given to him. But others were actually animals he'd hunted in his own world.

"A-Ah, I see. I suppose that makes sense…" Guild Girl nodded hesitantly, causing Arthur to spare a look her way. She was putting on a smile, though he could read through it easily.

"Oh, don't go gettin' all nervous, now. Goblin Slayer's been on plenty of quests without me helpin' him before I got to this place. He'll survive a few hunts without me," Arthur tried to reassure her, causing Guild Girl to wave her arms sporadically.

"I-I-N-No that's not what I was…" Guild Girl tried to lamely excuse, though doubtful look from Arthur caused her words to die in her mouth. Out of most people that knew her, Arthur was one of the few that had pegged her feelings for Goblin Slayer and called her out on it. Without his knowledge, of course.

"O-Okay, yes… I guess I was thinking of that."

"He'll be fine. He never needed me holdin' his hand before, he don't need it now," Arthur said, his eyes trailing back up to the board.

"I know that, it's just… ever since you arrived and started taking jobs with Goblin Slayer, he's been a bit more… active, I suppose," Guild Girl suggested, causing Arthur to look at her again. "Not to mention that unlike when he worked alone, he seems to come back in much better shape and far more quickly!"

"Ah, I see. You just want me to go with him to make sure he's around more, right?" Arthur teased as a small smirked edged at his lips.

"Th-That's not it! Stop teasing!" Guild Girl whined. "I'm just saying that… that I appreciate the help you've been giving him. Like I said, not many people are willing to do goblin quests, so seeing someone help him out so much has been nice…"

Arthur could hear the sincerity in her voice, making him give a small sigh. "Look, I ain't plannin' to cut off from him now just because I wanna try my hand at a few other things. Man's still my partner. Even if we haven't said so officially. But that don't mean we can't do our own things from time to time."

"I… I know. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to guilt you about it. I just know he can get reckless," Guild Girl sighed.

"Maybe sometimes when we're in the heat of things, but from my experience, he plans out a lotta fights pretty well," Arthur shrugged. The more he worked with Goblin Slayer, the more he learned just how creative the man got when dealing with goblins. He certainly didn't just brute force his way through them like some might expect. Though that didn't mean he wouldn't on occasion. Part of the cowboy thought that such recklessness only stemmed from the fact that Arthur was there to cover him.

Arthur spared a look across the board again. Now that he was looking at it, he did notice something about it. "There are actually a surprisin' amount of wild animal huntin' jobs up here. People don't like goin' on those?"

"Hm? Well, I suppose not. Sure, they're not looked down on like goblin slaying jobs, but a lot of the lower ranked hunting quests get passed up by rookies because they usually don't know how to hunt and track. It's easier to search out an enemy like rats in the sewer since they'll often fight rather than run," Guild Girl explained, earning a nod from Arthur.

"Makes sense… a lot easier to fight and kill somethin' that'll tackle you head on and ain't tryin' to hide itself or run away. Guess it'll be good to start with somethin' more familiar for me, then. These pay pretty well, too," Arthur pulled down a poster with the job of hunting some direwolves.

"Mister Gunslinger~!" Arthur peered past the board to see a young woman popping her head out from the tavern, grinning at him expectantly. She was a young woman likely around Guild Girl's age. She was dressed in a full traditional maid's outfit. She had long brunette hair tied in a ponytail at the top. But her most notable feature was the pair of dog ears sitting on top of her head and the tail coming from her back.

"Why hello there, miss Padfoot Waitress. There somethin' I can do for you?" Arthur asked, shooting a smile at the young woman from the side.

"I've got your usual breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and bacon hot and ready for you!" She said with a thumbs up.

"Why thank you, ma'am. You do know I appreciate your cookin'. I'll be over in a few to eat," Arthur nodded.

"Alright, just don't let it sit for too long, got it?" Padfoot waitress said with a playful glare before giggling and going back into the tavern.

"I would not dream of it," Arthur chuckled, looking back up at the board and grabbing certain hunting posters.

"I have to say, you've really gotten popular around here lately," Guild Girl said.

"What can I say? I'm a charmin' man," Arthur joked, earning an amused eye roll from Guild Girl. "Nah… people here are actually… pretty friendly. It's nice. Hell, Padfoot Waitress just likes to find food people like to eat. And since I ain't much of a picky eater, she keeps lookin' for things to surprise me with."

"Yeah. It's always been a thing with her to find certain meals that any adventurer can enjoy," Guild Girl nodded. "But still, I'll be the first to admit I didn't expect you to stay like you did when you first walked in here with Goblin Slayer."

"If I'm bein' honest, neither did I. I guess things just worked out for the best, right?" Arthur chuckled. The doors to the guild soon opened, drawing their attention to see Goblin Slayer walking in.

"Ah, there you are! Did you sleep in?" Guild Girl asked as a bubbly expression crossed her face. As Goblin Slayer walked up, he spared Arthur a quick nod in greeting which the cowboy returned.

"No. Had some errands to run, first. Any goblins?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Yes, a couple. None of them too big, though," Guild Girl nodded, pointing to several posters on the board. "Though you should speak with your partner, first."

Goblin Slayer looked at Arthur, his helmet tilting ever so slightly. "Something wrong?"

"Nah, nothin' bad. Just thought I'd let you know that I'm gonna go on some other quests today. Need to stretch my legs a bit and make some money," Arthur explained.

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment before giving a short nod. "I see."

"Sorry to do that outta the blue. I'll be back on the hunt with ya soon, just wanna try my hand at a few things."

"I see," Goblin Slayer nodded, his voice neutral. Arthur was getting better at picking up certain emotional cues when it came to Goblin Slayer's vocal and bodily expressions. So at the moment, he could tell that Goblin Slayer was fine with his decision.

Arthur nodded, taking the poster for the direwolves. "I'll be handlin' this if you don't mind."

"Understood. I'll be sure to mark it down in the books. Good luck on your quest," Guild Girl said, giving a wave as Arthur tipped his hat to her. He spared a look at Goblin Slater, who gave him a brief glance. The two nodded to one another before the cowboy took his leave. Goblin Slayer turned back to the board, taking down one of the posters.

"I'll take this one," He said, placing it on the counter for Guild Girl to see.

"Ah, of course!" She nodded, jotting down the job for him. She spared a small look up at the poster. She frowned, seeing how little the job had to offer in terms of payment. She could see why Gunslinger wouldn't be interested in working such a low paying job. What was worse was that the other goblin hunting job paid even less.

"I guess it's better that he went on his own job this time, huh?" Guild Girl offered, putting a stamp in her ledger. "You two having to split that much would mean so little for either of you."

"Yeah. I do need more money," Goblin Slayer admitted.

"Well… be careful on your quest, okay? Mister Gunslinger isn't going to be there, so you have to be more careful!" She said, wagging a finger at him.

"Okay." He picked up the poster and turned back around, heading for the exit. She watched him as he left, a small frown spreading across her face.

"Well… hopefully something better paying will come in. Though I guess that would mean more trouble for someone else…"

* * *

Two days had passed since Arthur took the quest to kill the direwolves. After a rough time putting down the pack, he was now on his way back home with wolf pelts hanging off the butt of his horse. He hadn't spent too long hunting, as the direwolves sought him out the moment he arrived in their forest. He could see why there was a quest made out for them, as they were twice as big as any he'd hunted before aside from the legendary wolf, and numbering at seven.

"Looks like you've been busy, Gunslinger!" A familiar street merchant called, watching as Arthur dismounted his horse.

"Sure as hell wasn't easy. Those wolves nearly ate me alive," Arthur laughed, pulling the pile of pelts from his horse's back. "How much for each of these?"

"Let me see 'em," The merchant took a pelt, holding it up in the light and inspecting it. "Hm, nicely done. These look to be in good condition. I'm surprised you didn't end up getting blood all over it."

"Wasn't easy. A couple of 'em don't look too great after I had to resort to some desperate tactics," Arthur said, holding up one of the dirtier pelts.

"Ah, okay. Tell you what: I'll give you a two silver coins per each good pelt an fifty coppers each for the rest."

"Make it 75 coppers and you got a deal," Arthur bartered.

"Sixty coppers!"

"Seventy."

"Agh. Fine. But only because I like ya," The merchant chuckled, putting a small smile on Arthur's face as he put he pile on the merchant's stand. The merchant fished out some coins, counting them for each pelt.

"Funny. With how much you've been going out with Goblin Slayer, I only expected to see some worn leather from you. Decided to cut off from his party?"

"Nah, nothin' like that. Just wanted to make some decent money doin' my own thing. Goblin huntin' is good and all but it certainly don't pay good," Arthur sighed, scratching the hairs of his chin. "By the way, you seen Goblin Slayer come through?"

"Ah, yes. I believe he walked into the guild not too long ago." The Merchant said, making Arthur nod.

"Thanks. I hope those sell well," he said, taking the promised money before turning back around to head inside. Opening the front door, Arthur could see Goblin Slayer staring at the board while Guild Girl seemed to be watching him, looking somewhat pensive.

"Howdy," Arthur called out, causing both to shift their attention to him.

"Ah, Mister Gunslinger! Welcome back," Guild Girl smiled, looking almost thankful.

Goblin Slayer gave a small nod in greeting before returning to the board.

Arthur walked up to Guild Girl and put a parchment on the table. "Job's done. I had some free time while campin', so I filled out the report for you."

"Ah, thank you, mister Gunslinger! I'll go grab your reward!" Guild Girl said, hurrying into the back room. Arthur peeked back at Goblin Slayer, walking up to his side and looking up at it.

"Everything goin' alright?"

"Looking for work." He answered.

"I figured as much, but that don't normally take you too long," Arthur chuckled, pulling the cigarette pouch from his chest pocket and putting one in his mouth.

"There are no goblin quests."

Arthur hesitated, looking back up at him with a raised brow. "Really?" He spared a look back at the board, looking for anything entailing a goblin hunt. To his surprise, he didn't find a single one. "Well I'll be damned… felt like we had at least one a day this past month. Didn't think either of us would catch a break."

"I suppose it's a good and bad thing," Guild Girl said as she came back and placed a pouch on the counter for Arthur. "Good because no one's being hurt by their absence, but bad because that means no work for Goblin Slayer."

"I prefer when there are no goblins. But I still need money," Goblin Slayer said, causing Arthur to let out a chuckle.

"Guess it was bound to happen every once in a while. Still, I can see the problem," Arthur nodded, looking at the board again. He saw some hunting quests posted up but several were above the porcelain rank. But thanks to that, they paid much better than what his direwolf mission offered. "Well, you're in luck I got back when I did. How's about goin' huntin' with me?"

"Goblins?"

"No, not goblins. I ain't gonna just magic some up outta nowhere," Arthur huffed, shaking his head. "We've got a few quests to work with up here. Let's pick somethin' that'll be good even if we split it."

"... Okay." Goblin Slayer looked back at the posters, examining each hunt offered.

"Wow…" Arthur looked back at Guild Girl to see her staring in awe. "I… I think this is the first time he's going to take a mission aside from goblin hunting… you're amazing, mister Gunslinger."

"When a man needs money, he needs money," Arthur chuckled, giving a shrug. "So. Anything catch your eye?"

Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment before reaching up and grabbing a parchment. From what Arthur could see, it was a ruby ranked mission with a picture of some mangled, hairless creature like a dog and long quills sticking out of its back. Its face was haunting and its eyes blank.

"The hell is that thing?" Arthur mumbled as he took the paper.

"Oh, that's a howler. They're rather nasty creatures," Guild Girl said, drawing their attention to her. "They're about eight feet tall in size and are rather cruel creatures. They're cowardly, but surprisingly intelligent. What's the quest asking for?"

"Says a single one's been found outside a town. Guards have been tryin' to get rid of it, but the thing keeps runnin' away and pickin' off people." Arthur said, reading through request.

"That's strange… howlers often travel in packs since they're cowardly. Not to mention they're often only found in areas heavily controlled by dark forces," Guild Girl explained with a thoughtful expression.

"Strange… so what made you pick this?" Arthur asked, looking back at Goblin Slayer.

"I've killed one before. One that a goblin champion used as a mount," said the stoic adventurer.

"A champion? Didn't you tell me that's one of the tougher bastards we ain't run into yet?"

"Yes. I barely survived the fight," Goblin Slayer admitted without hesitation. "Killing the howler helped disable its movement, though."

"Yeah, demons and certain dark creatures can use howlers as mounts, too. Though that might explain why it's alone. Whatever horde it belonged to might have been killed so it ran in fear of its life," Guild Girl explained, holding her chin. "But even if it's one alone, it's still very dangerous. If you two take that quest, you have to be very careful."

"It pay good?" Arthur asked in interest.

"Yes," Goblin Slayer pointed to the reward at the bottom. Arthur's eyes lit up, seeing twenty gold coins being offered.

"Goddamn! Who the hell coughed up the coin for this?!"

"Likely a local lord in the area. If his soldiers couldn't slay it, they'll want to get rid of it rather badly," Guild Girl suggested, earning a sideways look from Arthur.

"This thing that dangerous?"

"Well, it's dangerous for sure, but its intelligence likely plays a role in that, too. It's stronger than a bear but much craftier. You also have to watch out for its quills. They can stab right through your body if you're not careful, even with chainmail."

"Sounds like we've got a real dangerous bastard on our hands," Arthur nodded, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Well, I was the one who said I'd try some new things. Let's do it."

"Alright. We'll take this," Goblin Slayer put the quest on the counter.

"R-Right! I'll be sure to mark it down for you both. But please, remember to be careful! If you hear a howler's scream over the course of an hour, it could end up disorienting you!"

* * *

Arthur and Goblin Slayer trekked through the thick forest outlining a town. After paying a visit to the locals and finding out what they could about the howler, the two began their pursuit of the beast. Their target was apparently well hidden within the forest, keeping its distance from the town save for at night when it would pick off cattle and people who strayed. They decided not to chance an attack at night, not wanting to give the howler a sight advantage in a thick brushed forest.

"I've got tracks," Arthur called out, kneeling next to a large set of prints. "None like I've seen before, so I think it's safe to assume it's our culprit."

"Yeah. These look similar to what I saw before," Goblin Slayer nodded, raising his helmet to look around. "Fresh?"

"Not too fresh, but should give us a clue to where to go," Arthur stood up, looking for signs of any more disruption in the area. He recalled Charles words about tracking, look for the slightest hints. The path soon started to become visible to Arthur's eyes, slowly walking forward. "I've got a path. Come on."

"Okay."

The two continued in silence. It was a slow start as Arthur tried to make sure not to lose sight of any clues left behind. As they went on, Arthur leaned a hand on his hip holstered gun.

"We're gettin' close. Tracks are startin' to look fresh. Keep a lookout," Arthur suggested, earning a small nod from Goblin Slayer who drew his sword. "Speakin' of which, you said you killed one of these before. What happened?"

"I was clearing out a goblin nest when I discovered they had a champion. In close quarters, I didn't have much of a chance. I retreated to the forest outside the cave and planned to get the jump on the champion when he pursued," Goblin Slayer explained, his helmet shifting side to side as he kept his eyes peeled. "It caught up faster than I expected though because it had the howler to ride on. I ended up getting caught and almost mauled. I killed it by ramming a spear through its stomach, causing it to fall back on its rider."

"I see. Well this thing ain't gonna have a rider, so we gotta be more careful. Animals like this often work better when they're lookin' out for themselves," Arthur explained, coming to a stop. "The tracks are lookin' real fresh now. We're gettin' close. I think we should set some bait and wait for a chance to strike."

"Okay," Goblin Slayer nodded, grabbing the leather wrapped pouch from his waist and holding it out to Arthur. The cowboy took it and opened it up, revealing a predator bait he made while they were in town.

"If this monster's as smart as Guild Girl was sayin', the bait'll only work once. We should keep our distance from it and I'll try to kill it with my long rifle," Arthur suggested, pulling the Rolling Block off of his shoulder.

"How far will you go?"

"We don't wanna get our scent everywhere. He'll pick up on us if we're too close. Come on," Arthur said, leading Goblin slayer back on their previous trail. The forest was at a bit of slump as it was at the foot of a mountain, so the two went back down about thirty meters. Checking his rifle to make sure it was loaded, Arthur hugged a large tree and kept his eyes open as he watched the forest.

"Keep quiet. If it hears us, it'll likely bolt. I won't take a shot 'til I've got a good sight on it."

"Alright. I'll have an arrow ready," Goblin Slayer nodded, knocking his cheap bow but keeping from drawing it. And now the two played the waiting game, eyes twitching back and forth between the bait and the forest. They had left for the forest at midday, and so now the sun was starting to lower around them. Some time passed, but both hunters remained patient. If they jumped the gun too quickly, they might end up losing their target completely.

"Movement."

Arthur nodded silently, eyes narrowing as he slowly raised his rifle. He could see the foul creature slowly rising up from the brush, its mangled and ugly form making his skin crawl.

"Thing's uglier than the poster…" He mumbled to himself, getting better focus on the beast as it cautiously trotted toward the bait.

"Do you have a shot?" Goblin Slayer asked in a whisper.

"Almost… need it to come a bit closer to the bait…" Arthur said, the setting sun doing him no favors as the glare started to get in his eye from a certain angle. He leaned out a bit farther, making sure he had good line of sight on the howler.

"Almost… just a little more…"

Arthur's one small step became a big mistake. He stepped on a particularly noisy branch, causing the howler to immediately put its head up in alert. "Ah-shit! Take it down!"

Arthur let a round fly from his rifle, but his aim not quite on target as it punched a hole through the howler's shoulder. It wailed in pain, staggering for a moment as it looked around in panic. Goblin Slayer loosed an arrow, but the howler knelt down and let the arrow get caught in its quills. Its head quickly snapped to the two, watching as Arthur quickly loaded another round and took aim.

 ***SKRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH~!***

Arthur and Goblin Slayer buckled over, the cowboy covering his ears as the howler let out a piercing wale. His ears were particularly strong when compared to most others due to the often use of his guns, but the howler's screech was more piercing and high toned than anything he'd ever heard before.

Once it finally stopped, it took a moment for Arthur and Goblin Slayer to bring their attention back up. The howler was already on the run, somewhat limping from the bullet wound but still moving rather fast.

"Come on! We gotta finish it off!" Arthur called out, slinging his rifle back onto his shoulder and taking off in a sprint. Goblin Slayer wordlessly followed, his bow already slung and sword in hand. Arthur tried to keep the beast in his sights, but the dimming sky didn't help to keep their target completely visible.

"I'm losing sight on it," Goblin Slayer said, looking at Arthur.

"Shit, so am I. I can't…" Arthur and Goblin Slayer slowed to a stop, watching as the sun's light only continued to dim. "Shit… okay, we're gonna have to take this slow. I can track it from the signs, but we need to be on guard. That thing might be hurt but it's still big as a bear and probably pissed."

"Okay. I'll keep on guard while you track," Goblin Slayer said, gripping his short sword.

"Good idea, but… that sword's only gonna help when that bastard's real close…" Arthur unslung his shotgun, holding it out to Goblin Slayer. "You remember what I showed you about shootin' this?"

"Yes," Goblin Slayer nodded, taking the gun and turning it over. "Hold it tight and breath out as I shoot."

"You might not have the time to breath out, dependin' on what this thing tries. But knowin' you, you'll keep a cool head either way," Arthur drew his Schofield, keeping it in his right hand while he started to follow the trail of blood and tracks created from the howler's retreat. They kept their pace steady, not moving too quick and constantly on guard.

"The trail's startin' to get weaker… I think it slowed down around here…" Arthur mumbled, cocking the hammer of his gun. He followed the blood trail closely, the howler's movement started to take them in another direction. It was starting to come to a head, causing Arthur to look up. "Alright… that thing's close by. Get ready for-"

 ***SKRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH~!***

Arthur and Goblin Slayer groaned as their ears were filled with the howlers cry. Arthur grit his teeth, realizing that the howler had lured them in for a trap. It was using its screech to throw them off his location. With that in mind, Arthur forced himself to stand straight and look for their target.

But then the screeching stopped. And before he knew it, bursting from the brush, the howler lunged at them. Arthur dived out of the way as did Goblin Slayer, narrowly avoiding a tackle from the beast. As they both spun to their backs, they watched the howler hiss as it stalked around them, apparently trying to figure out its target. But as Arthur took aim first, the howler seemed to realize the danger, quickly hopping on top of Arthur.

Arthur narrowly avoided a claw in his shoulder, the howler stooping over him and letting out a hungry growl before lunging for a bite. Arthur didn't avoid this one, large jagged teeth digging into his shoulder.

"Agh~!" He cried in pain, his left arm going numb. Relying on instinct, Arthur quickly pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed into its ribs, forcing the howler to release his shoulder and hiss in pain. That was when he heard his shotgun go off. The howler arched its back in pain, letting out a blood curdling cry. Another blast from the shotgun rang out, causing the howler to fall to the side and away from Arthur.

With breathing room made, Arthur sat up and ignored the raging pain in his left arm, drawing his Schofield up and holding it next to his left hand. "Just die already, you goddamn animal!"

Time seemed to slow down as Arthur took a moment to pick his shots. And with his hand positioned just right, he fanned the hammer of his revolver, loading each round into the hairless face of the howler. It didn't have another chance to let out a cry, its body falling limp to the ground with a heavy thud.

Arthur took long breathless heaves, dropping his Schofield as he fell back to the ground. He regretted that decision as he felt the sting of his bite wound, gritting his teeth in pain."Well… that coulda gone better…"

"Here. Drink," Goblin Slayer said, rushing to his side and offering a single glass bottle. Taking it, Arthur breathed out in relief as he felt the wound begin to heal and the pain slowly go away.

"Th-Thanks partner… shit…" Arthur groaned, slowly sitting up and nursing his arm. "That thing almost took a chunk outta me. Definitely smarter than most animals I've hunted. At least when alone."

"Yeah. It acted more intelligently than the one I killed with a rider," Goblin Slayer nodded, offering a hand to help Arthur up. Arthur took it, letting out a low groan as his shoulder slowly recovered. "You were right."

"Well, guess it couldn't have all gone so smooth. Job's done, at least," Arthur sighed, looking down at the howler's corpse and nudging it with his toe. "Ugly bastard… So, how was the shotgun?"

Goblin Slayer held it up, inspecting it for a moment before holding it out to Arthur. "Not bad. Effective at close range."

"That it is. Great for huntin' big ones like this thing," Arthur took it, slinging its back on his shoulder. "Let's go get our money."

* * *

"Jesus… gonna have to get my shirt stitched up after that…" Arthur grumbled, poking a finger through the holes left by the howler's teeth. He and Goblin Slayer had made camp on the way back to the Frontier, deciding to rest for the night rather than rush home. "The chainmail at least helped from keepin' the bastard from diggin' too deep."

"You reacted quickly," Goblin Slayer noted, drawing Arthur's attention from across the fire between them. "Have you been bitten like that before?"

"A couple times. It was certainly one of the nastiest things to try and take a chunk outta me, though," Arthur admitted, rolling his shoulder. "By the way, I've got a potion you can have for what you gave me."

"It's fine. We'll have plenty of money from the job after this," Goblin Slayer shook his head.

"Well… alright, if you're sure. Well, if we go on another hunt like this, I'll be sure to get our medicine for us this time," Arthur offered.

"Okay."

Silence fell between them. Something Arthur was more than used to sitting through when it came to working with Goblin Slayer. But he knew better than to push any talk. Goblin Slayer was a man of few words. Arthur could respect that. It didn't always make for fun conversation, but still.

"Thank you."

Arthur blinked, looking up at Goblin Slayer in surprise. "For what?"

"For taking me hunting. I need the money," was Goblin Slayer's short answer. Arthur raised a brow but felt a small smirk play on his lips.

"Well, you let me come along the first time around. Seemed only fair that I'd return the favor eventually."

"I see."

"So, now that you've gotten a taste for somethin' outside of goblin huntin', think you'll be doin' it again?" Arthur asked, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it on their campfire.

"Perhaps. If there are no goblin quests," Goblin Slayer shrugged, earning a small chuckle from Arthur.

"Well… that's better than not at all, I suppose. Cheers to our first hunt without a single goblin in sight," Arthur held up a leather flask before taking a drink. He let out a small cough and smacked his lips. "Shit… and I thought our booze was somethin'..."

He held the flask out to Goblin Slayer to be polite, not expecting him to accept it. So imagine his surprise when Goblin Slayer took it slowly before taking a small swig. His reaction was small, letting out a brief cough before holding it back out to Arthur. Arthur numbly took it back, staring in shock for a moment before a smirk played on his lips.

"Heh. And here I thought you wouldn't take a drink."

"Some is fine. But I don't drink often."

"Ever been drunk?" Arthur decided to venture.

"No," Goblin Slayer answered easily.

"That don't surprise me. Still, I gotta admit… you got me wonderin' what kinda drunk you'd be." Arthur hummed, scratching the scruff of his chin.

"I couldn't say," Goblin Slayer shrugged.

"Well… how about we make a game of it? Next time we go on a goblin hunt, the both of us gotta take a shot after for every goblin we kill?" Arthur suggested with some amusement.

"We'd likely die."

"Hahah! Yeah, that's a good point. Too many of those little bastards to make a drinkin' game of it," Arthur laughed, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Well, I doubt I'll get you drunk tonight, but how about another sip to toast our first drink together," Arthur took another long swig before letting out a strangled breath and passing it over. Goblin Slayer accepted it again, taking a shorter drink but nonetheless accepting his offer.

"So… that your first hunt that didn't involve a goblin?" Arthur asked, his mood rising as the alcohol set in.

"I've hunted for food before," Goblin Slayer said, handing him the flask again.

"Ah, that makes sense. Man's gotta eat," Arthur nodded, setting the flask down. "Still, guess you don't got a reason to for the most part. The guild makes pretty good food for us. Plus we always seem to survive off provisions when we're workin'."

"I usually eat at home."

That drew Arthur's curiosity. "You cook for yourself?"

"Not at home. My friend usually does."

"Oh, okay. This a lady?"

"Yes."

Arthur blinked, genuinely surprised to hear that. "Well… I'll be damned. You married?"

"No."

"Oh… family, then?"

"Old friend. That's all." Goblin Slayer answered easily.

"Huh… okay... " Arthur was curious about the details of that, but didn't push his luck. All he would get would be short answers, anyway. "Well… I'll have to meet this friend o' yours one day. Have to ask them what it's like to live with a walkin' statue."

"Okay," Goblin Slayer nodded.

"Ah, you're no fun to tease," Arthur waved a hand, leaning back into the log he was using as a chair. "Though I guess that's part of your charm. Ladies seem to _love_ that stoic, serious thing you got going on."

"What do you mean?" Goblin Slayer tilted his helmet in question.

"Forget it. She probably'd be mad if I said somethin'," Arthur chuckled, shaking his head as he stared up at the two moons. _Green and red. Still blows me away._

"You still plan on hunting goblins?"

Arthur drew his attention back to Goblin Slayer, raising a brow. "Pardon?"

"You still want to go goblin hunting with me?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"Well, sure. Why not?"

"It doesn't pay well. And you are capable enough on your own," Goblin Slayer suggested.

"What, you tryin' to get rid of me, now?" Arthur asked, raising a brow.

"No. But still curious." the stoic adventurer admitted. Arthur knew he wouldn't lie, and nodded in understanding.

"Alright… well, I guess I just… like workin' with a partner," Arthur shrugged. "I don't mind workin' alone 'course, but I… well… guess it just ain't nearly as… fun as workin' with someone I trust. Not to say that I hunt goblins for fun or anythin', but it… certainly adds to it. If that makes sense…" Arthur awkwardly scratched his scruff, unsure how to articulate what he was trying to say.

"I see," Goblin Slayer said, seemingly understanding his point, at least. That or dropping it to spare him the embarrassment. Arthur was happy with either reason. "To more dead goblins, then."

Arthur took a moment to figure out what he meant before finally smirking, grabbing the leather flask and holding it up. "Damn right. To watchin' the little bastards burn."

Arthur took a big swig before passing it to Goblin Slayer, the stoic adventurer taking his longest drink yet.

 **To Be Continued…**

 **Seriously, the speed that this story gained traction still surprises me. Thank you everyone for your continued support.**

 **Well, that was a fun little chapter. Just thought I'd get a little more into the combo that is Goblin Slayer and Arthur. It was pretty fun to take them out and have them slay the D &D monster Howler. It was definitely one of the creatures that stuck out to me as a difficult hunt considering its size and strength. Especially for two guys who have never hunted something like it before, even with both being experienced. **

**Oh and I guess that makes for a small announcment: to spice up some original chapters, I may add more and more D &D monsters/creatures to the mix in the future. Since the Goblin Slayer world is built around the idea of that game, I figured it makes for a safe place to take certain things from. Hope you all don't mind. **

**Anyways, that's it for this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed! Please feel free to leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own neither Red Dead Redemption 2 or Goblin Slayer**

Chapter 4

 _ **Been a little over seven months now. I've found myself far more comfortable in this place than I ever imagined.**_

 _ **It feels good. Being able to use my skills for something that ain't robbing or killing good people. I just thought that my talents would only be useful for a criminal life. But here, it really feels like… that freedom I always wanted out West. To be able to hit that open land without a worry about the law or the rest of the world.**_

 _ **I wish the gang was here. Back when we were a family. There'd be no need for killing or running. Just us on the open range. Taking jobs and helping people. Like how we thought we was.**_

 _ **Or at least that's what I convinced myself we were doing.**_

 _ **That aside, I've been quickly climbing up in rank. After the howler hunt, I got ranked up. After another month of jobs, I got to steel. It seemed like each month after that, I kept getting reviewed and approved for higher ranks. Currently, I'm sitting at Emerald rank. That's been pretty helpful. Let's me choose a lotta good paying jobs when I'm not out hunting goblins with Goblin Slayer.**_

 _ **I owe that man a lot. Hunting goblins has become like a clean up duty, but I don't mind. I've done much worse things before, killing goblins is the least I can contribute. And maybe, part of it feels like I'm paying off a longtime debt to him for helping me get my start.**_

 _ **But maybe it's also just what 'party' members do for each other. Something I have been coming to understand.**_

 _ **Not to mention that other adventurer's can recommend rank ups for people. Part of me would think that's not something he'd go out of his way to do, but I've caught him and Guild Girl speaking alone sometimes, both acting real suspicious when I ask what's going on. Usually, a short time after that, I've ranked up.**_

 _ **I might not be a genius, but I can see when someone's vouching for me. I owe them both a lot. I may not quite deserve their kindness, but I certainly appreciate it. No one's made me feel quite as at home as them.**_

 _ **Oh, and let the record show that I do think Padfoot Waitress's cooking is good. I feel that if I don't mention that once, she'll know somehow and hunt me down.**_

"Whatcha writin' about, Gunslinger?"

Arthur looked up from his journal and smirked, Padfoot Waitress hovering close by with his order in hand. "Nothin' special. I just like to write sometimes."

"Eh~, that's suspicious. I'll have to sneak that away from you one of these days and take a look," Padfoot Waitress said, a mischievous gleam in her eye.

"You do that, and you'll lose a long time customer, little lady," Arthur smiled back, his words immediately causing the dog eared girl to wince.

"W-Wait, that's not fair! Don't be like that!"

"Hehe, I'm just kiddin'. But I'd prefer not to have someone read this. It'd be pretty embarrasin'," Arthur laughed, stuffing the journal into his satchel.

"Fine~, have it your way. Oh, here's your order! Make sure you eat it all, kay?" Padfoot Waitress said, giving a big smile as she set a plate of lamb leg and diced potatoes in front of Arthur.

"I will be sure to do that. Thank you, miss," Arthur tipped his hat to her before picking up a fork and beginning to eat. The dog eared girl gave a fervent nod before skipping back to the kitchen.

"Yo~, Gunslinger."

Arthur looked up from his meal and smirked, swallowing the food in his mouth as Spearman and Witch approached with friendly smiles.

"And here I thought I was gonna have a nice quiet lunch. Guess that's hard with the Frontier's strongest loudmouth around, huh?" Arthur said with a laugh under his breath. "Oh, and good day, Witch."

"Hello… Gunslinger," Witch smiled as she and Spearman took a seat across from him.

"Oh, shove it with that nickname, jerk," Spearman huffed out in amusement. "So, no goblin hunt today? Figured you and that stiff bastard would be gone when we got back."

"We'll see. He's usually not this late, but maybe he's just gettin' a rest." Arthur shrugged, still digging into his meal. "We just got back from a few day trip for a hunt last night. He's probably catchin' up on some sleep."

"Eh, that so? Guess that gives me a chance to chat up Guild Girl, huh?" Spearman grinned, eliciting a small sigh as he spared a small glance at Witch, who merely rolled her eyes and pulled her long pipe from between her breasts and stuck it in her mouth.

"You know, there is such a thing as a hunt you just can't catch, right?" Arthur drawled, picking up a napkin and wiping his mouth.

"Hah! We'll see about that!" Spearman puffed out his chest confidently. "I don't give up when I've set my eyes on something! The more I show her what I'm made of, the more she'll start to see how much better I am than that boring guy!"

"She certainly won't hear the end of it, I'm sure…" Arthur sighed, pushing his plate away and leaning back in his chair. "You ever think that maybe you just like the idea of bein' with her rather than her specifically?"

"Huh? The hell does that even mean?" Spearman tilted his head to one side in confusion.

Arthur let out a breath, rubbing a hand across his face. "Forget I said anythin'. You two stickin' around today or you gonna head out for another job soon?"

"We're taking a small… break today," Witch answered this time, welcoming the change in topic. "I have some… supplies to… refill. Tomorrow we will… set out on another… job."

"I've gotta get some of my armor fixed up too. The dragon we killed took longer than I expected to finally go down," Spearman said, tapping his knuckles on his chest plate. Arthur could see some surface damage on it, some dents and even a splintered area at the edge.

"And here I was hopin' that dragon would crush your lungs and take away your voice," Arthur snickered, earning a small laugh from Witch.

"Haha, very funny! You sure love to throw your jokes around, asshole," Spearman clicked his tongue but looked amused regardless. "What about you? Gonna head out for a hunt alone this time or wait for the stiff guy?"

"Not sure. Was thinkin' of relaxin' for the day, myself. We've had a lotta hunts lately," Arthur explained, scratching the scraggly hair of his beard. "For a while, it felt like there were less and less goblin hunts… but in the past couple months, it feels like that's all we've been doin'. Almost like they just decide to come outta the woodwork."

"There have been a few more goblin quests lately, huh? Even Goblin Slayer cant take them all on at once," Spearman laughed, recalling several postings on the board.

"Goblins do seem to… only increase in number… don't they?" Witch hummed, blowing out a cloud of smoke. Arthur decided to join her, pulling a cigarette out from his jacket pocket and putting it in his mouth. " _Enflambre~."_ With the small spell, the end of Arthur's cigarette lit up.

"Thank you, miss," Arthur said, inhaling a cloud of tobacco smoke and puffing out. "But yeah, I can't say you're wrong. They're almost like goddamn roaches. Too many of the little bastards that don't know when to quit."

"You should take a goblin hunting break and go with us on a quest, again. It's not like you don't do enough of it with Goblin Slayer as is," Spearman suggested with a grin, slapping his shoulder.

"You did quite… well on our… last quest together…. We'd be… happy to have… you," Witch smiled.

Over the past few months, when Arthur felt like exploring different types of quests, he had teamed up with several adventurers, namely Spearman and Witch. Arthur wouldn't say it straight out that he liked working with them, but only because he knew it would got to Spearman's head.

"I might sometime soon, but… I don't know. Somethin' don't feel right about all the goblins poppin' up," said Arthur, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth. "Goblin Slayer does fine without me, but I… I don't know, feels like I still gotta help him clean up more of 'em. At least for a bit. But I'll keep the offer in mind."

"Well, if that's what you wanna do," Spearman shrugged. "But hey, how about we do some drinkin' tonight at least?"

"Hehe, now that's somethin' I can get behind," Arthur laughed.

"You are rather mature, but… you also seem… to bring out your more… childish side when… drinking," Witch giggled.

"You wouldn't be the first person to say that, I'll admit," Arthur agreed, standing up from the table. "Anyway, I best be gettin' on. Got some of my own errands to run today."

"Alright. I'll see you for drinks later then if you don't get dragged off for some goblin quest again," Spearman winked as he left.

"We'll be… seeing you," Witch nodded as she watched him leave. Arthur walked through the main hall, sparing a glance at Guild Girl and thinking of saying hi. But seeing her busy with several young adventurers, Arthur decided to let her work. He headed out the front door, walking down the road and heading for the nearby blacksmith.

"Ah, if it isn't our funny hatted silk maid!" The blacksmith greeted with snark.

"And here I was hopin' to see the kid in charge now with you dead somewhere. Imagine my poor luck," Arthur shot back with a laugh, earning huff from the blacksmith.

"Yeah, right! I'll outlive ya and the brat, easily!" Smith said, leaning forward on his counter.

"Unfortunately, that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Well, I guess I don't mind so long as you keep makin' some good stuff for me," Arthur chuckled, shaking his head as he approached. "Got my order?"

"What do I look like, some amateur? 'Course I got your order!" Smith spat, looking back at a young man nearby. "Hey! Go get Mister Gunslinger his weapon!"

"Oh, yes sir!" The young man, Apprentice as he was called, answered before running off to the back. He quickly came back with an axe in hand, placing it on the table. It had a far more intricate design when compared to the axe Arthur had normally carried around. It had a sharp, glistening curved blade with a hand carved pommel, leather wrapped around the bottom for comfort. Arthur picked it up,feeling its weight and the balance of it in his hand.

"You brought me some good steel for that beauty. It'll take far more damage than the standard hand axe you've been carryin' and neither will the pommel. You'll cut right through the hide of a manticore, though how deep it goes depends on how strong those maiden arms of yours are."

"Sure, put it on me if it don't work, old man," Arthur chuckled, holding the axe up and inspecting the detail. "Very nice. This is just what I needed. Had too many of those damn axes before break after just a month. Here." Arthur put a pouch of coins on the table, Smith reaching out to count it. "Keep the change."

"Heh, if you insist, boy. Put that thing to good use."

The swinging doors to the shop opened, causing Arthur and Smith to look up and see a young woman around Arthur's age enter. She had long blonde hair and a beautiful face, a bang curved on her forehead. She wore silver plated armor and a cape in the back with a black sigil on her pauldrons.

"Well, if it ain't miss Female Knight," Arthur greeted, tipping his hat before looking down at his axe again.

"Ah, afternoon to you, Gunslinger," she greeted with a smile, walking up to the counter next to him before inspecting the axe. "That's a fine crafted weapon. You just purchase it?"

"Yeah. Decided buyin' one every couple months after one broke was gettin' annoyin'," Arthur nodded, placing the axe on his belt and looking up at her. "You?"

"Just getting my sword sharpened," she answered, pulling the blade from her belt.

"I see. Where's Heavy Swordsman?" Arthur asked, looking around.

"He's back at the guild, having a drink. Our latest quest was somewhat tougher than we were expecting," She answered, placing her blade on the table. Smith quickly took it, resting it on his shoulder as he moved to his sharpening stone.

Arthur had gotten acquainted with Female Knight and Heavy Swordsman several months back when trying different jobs. After that, they had quickly become friends, Arthur liking both of them well enough to go on a few other jobs with them in the past.

"Seems to be a lot of that goin' around. Almost like everything's been comin' outta their caves lately," Arthur said, thinking out loud for the most part. "Makes me wonder what the hell's goin' on…"

"It likely has to do with the Demon Lord," Female Knight said, causing Arthur to raise a brow. "Don't you know? The newest Demon Lord has been making a move lately, rousing all sorts of beasts and creatures. A good number have either gone to his army or are just out and causing havoc across the country."

"Well, that might explain some things," Arthur muttered, somewhat unsettled by the idea. "You think things are gonna start gettin' harder from here for us?"

"Not likely. Sure, there will be some more difficult or surprising quests, but nothing too outside the realm of expectation," Female Knight dismissed, leaning forward on the counter. "There's supposedly a young woman in the gold ranks that's already planning to tackle the Demon Lord soon. Whether she'll succeed is another story, though. I have heard that she's quite fierce in battle."

"Guess we can just hope that she wins and keep cleanin' up around the Frontier, then." Arthur shrugged, pulling out his cattleman revolver and inspecting it.

"We all have our parts to play. Though part of me wonders if you're fulfilling yours," she said, causing Arthur to raise a brow.

"How you mean?" Female Knight looked away for a moment before sighing and looking back.

"Perhaps it's not my place to say, but… I feel someone should say it. You've shown me and many others what you're capable of. No one doubts your skill, Gunslinger," Female Knight started, her eyes peering into his. "But you still spend much of your time on hunts with Goblin Slayer. He's quite capable on his own, at least when dealing with goblins. There's no stopping him from doing those quests, we all know this. But don't you think you're wasting your own abilities on those kind of hunts?"

"Not really. The man's my partner. If he wants help killin' some goblins, I give him some," Arthur dismissed easily enough, taking a rag from his belt and rubbing out some residue on the barrel. "Besides, I've seen what goblins are capable of. If anything needs killin', it's certainly those little bastards."

"No one's saying they don't. But-"

"Listen, Female Knight. You might say I'm good at what I do and, well I wouldn't say you're wrong but… there ain't much I'm good for, neither," Arthur said, raising his gaze to her with steely expression. "I ain't no hero. I wouldn't even call myself a good man. But the world needs exterminators too, don't it? I think… that's what I'm best at bein'."

Female Knight's expression softened, looking at Arthur with some confusion and wonder. "What… happened to you to make you think that…" She released a breath, shaking her head. "Apologies. I shouldn't pry."

Arthur answered with a silent nod of appreciation. One thing he liked about the guild was that people really could come from all walks of life. There was an unwritten rule because of that, one that kept adventurers from attempting to delve too deep into other people's lives before joining. Sure, if people felt so inclined, they would share, but only with close friends and members of one's own party. If Arthur had known that from the beginning, perhaps he could have avoided the whole amnesia nonsense. Still, it helped him out in other ways, at least.

"Well, enough about how I'm wastin' my time. What about you and the big guy?" Arthur said, deciding to switch topics as he stuffed his gun back in its holster. "Any sorta progress with him?"

"P-Progress? What do you mean?" Female Knight asked, her cheeks turning red and making Arthur laugh.

"Guess I'll take that as a no. I swear, seems to be a lotta you people at the guild actin' like kids that never been with someone. You sure you're adults?" Arthur teased, causing Female Knight to gasp in shock, feeling called out.

In Arthur's time at the guild, he'd easily picked up on the many strange romances going on. Or lack thereof, truthfully. Guild Girl was obviously interested in Goblin Slayer while Spearman pined for her. Witch, who took a bit longer for Arthur to peg, actually harbored feelings for Spearman to his mild surprise. And in the few missions and drinks he shared with Female Knight and Heavy Swordsman, he quickly picked up on the fact that the woman was obviously interested in her comrade.

Other people's love lives usually weren't his concern, but Arthur did find quite a bit of enjoyment teasing most of them about their lack of action.

"I-I haven't the faintest idea of what you mean! B-Besides, it's… rare for party members to get involved. What if things go bad or it causes drama with another party member?" Female Knight mumbled, though Arthur could tell she was trying to convince herself more than him.

"If you say so. It's not like I'm the greatest romantic in the world neither," Arthur shrugged with a chuckle, causing Female Knight to puff out her cheeks. Despite her intimidating strength and fierce demeanor in battle, Arthur liked poking her buttons. She might not have let her guard down around most, but Arthur knew exactly what buttons to push to get her to crack. Of course, he always made sure not to push too far lest he puts himself on the wrong side of her sword.

Before the two could continue, the doors to the shop opened, Goblin Slayer suddenly entering.

"Hey."

"Ah, there you are. Was wonderin' if you were gonna sleep all day," Arthur said, pushing off the counter. He quickly took note of the fact that he was fully armored. "Guess yer not restin' today?"

"No. Goblins aren't either," he answered shortly, bringing a paper to the counter.

"Of course they aren't," Female Knight sighed, looking up at Arthur. "I'll see you later, Gunslinger. Good luck exterminating."

"Will do," Arthur nodded before turning back to Goblin Slayer and picking up the paper. "You seem excited. For you, at least. What's goin' on?"

"There's a goblin horde that's taken over an abandoned stronghold," Goblin Slayer explained, pointing at the details for him to read. "With the details in the request, there should be over fifty. Including a Champion."

"Champion, huh? This'll be the second one I'm killin', then," Arthur hummed, his eyes trailing down to the reward. To his surprise, it was strangely high. "Ten gold pieces? A lord order this one?"

"Yes. The stronghold is near a town. They likely don't want to send what guards they have to deal with the threat and leave their defenses lowered."

"Makes sense. We should go pick up some-"

"Hey, what does this shop look like to you lot? Some social club?!" The Smith finally spoke up, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Keep your shirt on, old man. Don't wanna have a heart attack," Arthur huffed, but nonetheless heading for the door with Goblin Slayer. "We'll see you later. Unfortunately."

"I heard that!"

"Do you not like him?" Goblin Slayer asked innocently.

"What? No, 'course I do. I just like to mess with people," Arthur chuckled. Goblin Slayer was one of the only people that never received the jokes. Mostly because his reactions were either dry or silent.

"I see."

"Anyway, there anything you wanna pick up? I was gonna grab some cocktails for fire bottles, at least. Maybe grab some herbs to make poison knives and arrows on our way there."

"Some items from the alchemist. We'll likely need some more tools considering the location. We've yet to tackle a goblin host inside of a stronghold together," Goblin Slayer explained.

"Yeah, we should probably try and sneak in first. Goin' loud will probably just make 'em lock the place up before we can flush 'em out," Arthur agreed before slapping his shoulder. "Still, ain't nothin' we can't handle."

"Still, be cautious. We don't have all the information available," Goblin Slayer suggested.

"Sure, but I'm sure it ain't anythin' we haven't seen before."

* * *

 _I feel like… the biggest damn fool in the world._

Arthur didn't necessarily underestimate the job. He knew that with a different location came different circumstances to a fight with goblins. He didn't deviate from their plan. He did everything without an ounce of carelessness. Any goblin patrolling the stronghold was taken care of. Goblin Slayer and Arthur approached this job just like any other, cautious and ready.

But what made Arthur feel stupid was the cardinal rule he forgot. No matter how good a job starts… no matter how well you execute your plans… _any_ job can go wrong. Sometimes, things out of your control occur, and those moments can ruin everything you had prepared, even your backup plans.

Arthur had scolded himself again and again for failing to remember this rule as he hugged his left arm to his side, trying to keep it from moving too much due to the bone protruding from his forearm.

The infiltration had gone without a hitch, the two having taken out the goblins guarding the walls and sneaking inside the stronghold. But the problem was the number of rooms that were scattered throughout the fortress. Not wanting to miss a single goblin, Arthur and Goblin Slayer were forced to check every room they came across. Some went without incident while others had to be spent taking out several goblins squatting inside.

But when they got to one of the last few rooms left, Arthur made the simple mistake of having a hand on his axe rather than on his gun. Because when he opened the door, he found a goblin Champion lurking inside. His decision to remain silent for the infiltration had worked against him, as he hadn't gotten a hand to his gun fast enough. The moment his hand was on his gun, the Champion was already swinging a club directly into his left arm. It broke on impact.

Arthur considered that lucky though as he was only wearing chain mail, a ring of durability and a jacket fashioned from a cloak of defense. He was now very thankful for Witch's help in securing those. They had been expensive but considering the little amount of armor he wore, they had proven their worth. If he hadn't worn them, he likely would have been dead or dying by now.

Goblin Slayer had quickly jumped to fight the Champion, but it proved to be his superior in strength, pushing him back against the wall and trying to choke him to death. Arthur had to spend a long, excruciating moment ignoring the broken bones and hoist up his revolver in the opposite hand.

Despite the pain, Arthur didn't waste his first shot. The Champion's skull was tough, so killing it with a headshot wasn't guaranteed, something he learned from his first encounter. That's why Arthur aimed for its eye, putting a hole through its brain without fail.

While his quick and precise aim had dealt with the immediate threat, it was no surprise to either adventurer when they heard a goblin horn sound. Arthur's revolver was far too loud to go unheard. So, having to swallow a healing potion that barely fought the pain off, Arthur and Goblin Slayer were forced to run out of the room without a second to rest. The patter of goblin feet could be heard echoing down the hall with unmistakable, heavy foot fall being among them.

"They've got another damn Champion, don't they…?" Arthur ground out, trying to keep up with Goblin Slayer as they kept running.

"Yes. And some hobgoblins as well." Goblin Slayer confirmed, the two stopping shortly as they reached a fork in the hall.

"Just dandy… What do you wanna do then?" Arthur asked, taking the brief stop as a moment to tie a handkerchief around his forearm.

"Get them in a narrow path. Kill them in groups." Goblin Slayer said, giving a quick wave. "This way."

Arthur quietly followed. While his idea seemed risky, Arthur couldn't see any better option. Leaving the stronghold was one thing, but the chances of them making it out without a fight and getting cornered in a bad spot was high. He didn't have both arms to work with, meaning he'd have to rely on one of his revolvers to fight. He could use his axe, but that didn't do him too much good in this situation.

"Whatcha got on ya left?"

"Two tear gas bombs, three fire bottles and ten arrows," Goblin Slayer listed off, coming to a halt as they reached the end of the hall. "Right's the only path left, but it's a dead end."

"Shit. Check each room for a way out," Arthur cursed, swiveling his head back and forth. The approaching rumble of goblins was still some ways off, but was steadily approaching.

Goblin Slayer opened three doors, checking each one quickly before returning to him. "Each room has a window, but is a long way down. If we prepare a rope now, we might outrun the horde… maybe."

"You might, but… not with this arm I won't," Arthur cursed, gritting his teeth. "Looks like we're makin' a stand here... unless you wanna go while I cover you."

"I'm not leaving you," Goblin Slayer answered, immediately picking up on his meaning.

"I know… well, this hallway's pretty long. If we're gonna make a stand anywhere, here's about as good as we could hope for," Arthur sighed, looking around the hall. There were several ragged banners loosely hanging along the walls. Enough to go across the entire hallway. "Were there any tables in those rooms?"

"Several."

"Okay. Grab whichever ones you can and set 'em up along the hall. It'll help slow 'em down, at least. I'm gonna douse these curtains in liquor," Arthur said, reaching into his satchel and pulling out a fire bottle. Goblin Slayer nodded, quickly rushing back to the rooms. Arthur pulled the rag out of the fire bottle's top with his teeth, jogging up to the banner hanging at the middle of the hall and splashing it.

" **GRAGH!"**

"Shit, they're close…" Arthur cursed, not wasting any time to move onto the next banner and splash it as well. The hall was at least twenty yards in length, giving them plenty of space to work with. The problem would be how fast the goblins could clear that distance, though.

As he finished up, he looked back to see Goblin Slayer having put several tables on their side, spaced enough that they would keep the goblins also saw Goblin Slayer slather each one with alcohol.

"Good idea. They won't be in a rush to push 'em if they're on fire," Arthur smirked at his partner's own quick thinking. He pulled out a pouch of matches, thankful that he was able to find and alchemist to make them for him. He raised his boot and struck it against the heel, quickly tossing the match onto one of the tables as he passed by. "Keep 'em away from the banners. That'll be our next surprise."

"Okay."

Three fires were set, each table blazing. Arthur and Goblin Slayer quickly jogged to the end of the hall, the cowboy painfully pulling the shotgun off his shoulder. "Here. I think more than ever, you're gonna need it."

Goblin Slayer took it without question, raising it up and taking aim. Arthur raised his revolver, eyes narrowing past the blaze as the inhuman rumbling grew loud enough for them to hear from their position.

"How many you thinkin' left?" Arthur asked quietly.

"We killed twenty two and a Champion. My guess would be twenty three more, including two hobgoblins and the other Champion," Goblin Slayer robotically answered, his helmet's gaze still forward.

"Sounds about… right," Arthur grit out, beginning to feel the healing potion he drank wear off and his arm start to sting worse and worse. "Well… whatever you do… save our last potions for yourself."

"No." Arthur looked at him to argue, only stopping when he saw a potion now being held up to his face. "I need you as strong as possible. Drink."

Arthur opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he heard a goblin screech just at the end of the hall. "Fine. Stubborn bastard…" He relented, quickly taking it with his good hand and downing it, tossing the bottle aside as he focused his gaze forward and raised his gun again. "Here they come."

"I know."

Just at the opposite end of the hall, the two soon saw several goblins through the blaze, watching them with vengeful eyes. They didn't move at first, and for a long moment, they were the only ones to be seen. But a moment later, another small crowd of goblins scurried out from the right hall. Then another. Then another, with two hobgoblins at each side. And then, with thunderous steps, the Champion stepped out, a club in one hand and a large, round shield in the other. The moment Arthur saw that, he couldn't help but feel worried.

 _I don't think my guns can get through that._

" **GRA~GH!"** The Champion pointed forward with its club, and immediately the first group of goblins began to charge.

"About damn time. Come on, then!" Arthur growled out in defiance, taking aim and letting a bullet fly. He headshot the first goblin he could, being careful with his aim. Next to him, Goblin Slayer fired the lever shotgun off, though it only seemed to wing one of the goblins but not kill it.

"Wait 'til they're at the second table! That thing don't got too long'a range!" Arthur told him, firing off another shot and killing another goblin. He was taking careful aim, making every shot count. As the goblins dodged around the first table, he unleashed another bullet, sending one of the goblins tumbling back, dead. They weaved around the next table, only to be met with bullets and buckshot as they both fired. Arthur put two more shots out, killing two more goblins and leaving two others. As he put the revolver away and drew his other one, Goblin Slayer killed the last two with successive shots. _He's gotten good with that thing._

The Champion let out another roar, and this time the entire pack of goblins began rushing at them with the Champion lagging in the back.

"Now!" Arthur said, looking at Goblin Slayer. He was already prepared, the shotgun slung on his shoulder as he now took aim with a bow and arrow with the tip wrapped in a burning cloth. He let the arrow loose, setting the banners ablaze as the goblins moved under them. It caused them to recoil in fear, taking a step back from the burning tapestry that ignited each one after the other and filled the hall with black smoke. The goblins began to cough madly, covering their faces from the heat as they tried to proceed forward.

That disorientation was all Arthur wanted, quickly pulling out his second revolver and letting it reload now that the goblins approach had been slowed. As it snapped closed, he quickly bore down on them, taking carefully planned shots and killing six, including both hobgoblins, of the beasts.

Goblin Slayer dared to step closer, putting them all within range of the shotgun and unleashing several shots. He quickly killed the closest ones, breaking their resolve to keep pushing and forcing them back with the speed of their mounting losses. Arthur would have been relieved had he not seen the Champion make its approach, batting away the lesser goblins like trash and killing them. It let out a deep bellow of a roar, slowly beginning to charge. Arthur hoped to kill him before he could get close, but the Champion simply raised its shield, each bullet deflecting off of it without much fuss.

"Shit! Get back! Get back now!" Arthur cursed, damning his luck when he heard the gun click, empty. He quickly switched to his schofield, but had trouble finding a target as the Champion continued forward with its shield.

"I'll make it drop its guard. Look for an opening," Goblin slayer said, letting the shotgun fall to the ground as he drew his short sword.

"Wait, don'-" Arthur watched as Goblin Slayer pulled out two small eggs in hand and tossed them at the Champion, one hitting his shield and the other hitting the ground around its feet. They quickly exploded into puffs of smoke, and the Champion actually stopped. It let out a strangled cry, its head swaying back and forth as it tried to rub its eyes on its forearm.

"See if you can get its shield down for me!" Arthur said, keeping his gun up as he got ready to fire. Goblin Slayer obeyed without a word, rushing forward and slamming his blade against its shield, hoping to break its guard. But it reacted violently, using its large circle shield to swing wildly and hit Goblin Slayer, knocking him into the wall with great force.

But with that single movement, Arthur didn't miss his chance. The Champion's shield was away from its face, exposing it. And with one properly placed bullet, he put a hole that started at its eye and ended at the back of its head.

Arthur watched it slump to the ground, slowly lowering his shaking arm as he started to cough. The fight might have been over, but the fire still raged on, filling the entire hall with smoke. He looked up at Goblin Slayer, feeling nervous when he saw that he was still slumped against the wall.

"Hey! Goblin Slayer! Come on, we-" He started to cough again, smoke and heat filling his eyes and lungs. He felt his eyes strain and water, struggling to see his surroundings. But he fought through the smoke, grabbing the black neckerchief he wore and using it to cover his mouth. Squinting, Arthur pushed forward thankful that the fires had yet to spread completely across the carpet.

As he weaved around the burning tables, he saw Goblin Slayer, hearing him groan and cough weakly. Using his good arm, Arthur reached down and grabbed him, slinging his left arm over his shoulder. He let out a strained groan, but forced them both to stand.

"Don't you get nappy… on me now. Come on!" Arthur told him, slowly trudging forward. Goblin Slayer seemed to finally be waking up, although barely, and started to move his feet at least.

Still, as much as the neckerchief helped, it wasn't the best filter, causing Arthur to suck in a bit of smoke regardless. He let out several pained coughs, his lungs feeling like they were on fire. Each breath became a terrible chore, and his eyes started to fog up.

"Come on… almost there... " He mumbled, though more to himself than to Goblin Slayer. His head was starting to go dizzy, though and the world around him light. Arthur's vision began to fade as his pace began to slow. He felt his grip on Goblin Slayer begin to loosen, and was beginning to fall himself.

In the end, before completely blacking out, all he felt was a tight grip grab his shoulder that kept him from falling.

* * *

 _I wanna die… again..._

Arthur noticed two things the moment he began to stir. The first was the splitting headache that rudely greeted him the moment he woke. The other was the fact that his throat was unbearably parched. He slowly began to shift around, attempting to move his left arm. Not only did the action hurt, it also felt impossible to move. He groaned as he forced his eyes open slowly, suddenly realizing that he was in a room. Not to mention on a bed. He looked down at his arm, seeing now that it was wrapped up in a bandage as well as splinted.

 _Right… the fortress…_

Arthur closed his eyes again, resting his head back into the pillow beneath it. He began to notice how annoying it felt to breath, his chest tightening with each weak breath.

 _Please tell me I don't got TB again… I'd prefer to die a different way this time, at least..._

"Oh, you're awake!"

Arthur slowly opened his eyes when he heard an unfamiliar voice. At the door of the room he was stuck in was a young woman with short red hair. She was young, around seventeen or so, with a cute face and kind smile. She had short, neck length red hair and wore blue overalls on top of a white shirt.

"Hey…" Arthur wheezed out, his voice scratchy. The young woman seemed to understand immediately, jogging to his side and holding out a cup of water.

"Here, drink! You've had it rough…" She said, Arthur greedily grasping at the cup and dumping the water down his throat. He started to cough, the water having gone down the wrong pipe, but he fought through it, still drinking more. "Are you feeling okay?"

"About as… good as I look, perhaps…" Arthur choked out, dropping the cup and slowly rolling onto his back again. "Where… am I?"

"You're at my uncle's farm. This certainly isn't the way I wanted our first meeting to go, but I guess he didn't give us much choice, huh?" The girl giggled sheepishly, causing Arthur to force a glance her way.

"You… wanted to meet me?" Arthur asked in confusion. Before he could push the topic, he heard the door push open again, both looking up to see Goblin Slayer standing in the doorway.

"You're awake."

"Ah, just in time!" The girl said, bouncing up to stand straight and giving the armored adventurer a smile. "I'm sure your friend would like a familiar face right now."

"Goblin Slayer…" Arthur wheezed, weakly attempting to sit up. His partner soon was at his side, standing over him.

"Don't push yourself. Rest."

"Hard to… rest, feelin' like my lungs've just been put through a fire," Arthur mumbled, running a hand over his face. "My pathetic state aside, uh… this your place?"

"Yes. I live here," Goblin Slayer nodded, the young woman approaching from his side and giving a radiant smile.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" She asked with a playful tone, nudging Goblin Slayer with an elbow.

"This is Cow Girl. She's my friend from childhood," Goblin Slayer said before looking up at Cow Girl. "This is Gunslinger. He's my partner."

"Pleasure to meet you…" Arthur mumbled, forcing himself to sit back against the headboard and nod. "I'd tip my hat, but…"

"It's no problem. I'm glad to finally get to meet you!" Cow Girl giggled as she smiled at Arthur. "He doesn't always talk, but he's been saying a bit more and coming home more often than he used to after working. I guess I have you to thank for that, huh?"

"Well, it's a two way street… I suppose," Arthur chuckled, resting his head back. "But just tell me one thing… is he secretly more talkative at home than anywhere else?"

"What?" Goblin Slayer tilted his head innocently.

"Sorry, he's like that everywhere," Cow Girl laughed.

"That's what I thought. Didn't hurt to ask, at least," Arthur forced out his own laugh, rubbing his chest. "Thank you for the… hospitality, Cow Girl. And sorry for the inconvenience…"

"You don't even need to worry. Just be sure to thank my uncle when you get the chance. You were the last thing that he was expecting this guy to suddenly haul into our barn," Cow Girl giggled, looking at Goblin Slayer. "Well, I'll let you two catch up. I'm going to go check on dinner."

"Thank you, again…" Arthur forced out, watching the bubbly girl leave the room before looking at Goblin Slayer. "She seems nice…"

"She is," was his short answer, the armored man taking a seat in the chair next to his bed.

"Didn't realize you lived so far out from the town. Figured you'd have brought me to that village instead," Arthur said curiously.

"I don't. This place is close to town. I took you to the village near the stronghold once we escaped to tend to your wounds. Once they were done, I thought you'd prefer to be closer to home." Goblin Slayer answered.

"I see. How long was I out?"

"A day. I brought you here soon after." he answered once more.

"Good. I'd hate to be out too long," Arthur grumbled, looking at his splinted arm in annoyance. "Still feel like a goddamn fool for what happened, though. Anything I should know about?"

"They said your lungs were strained from breathing in too much smoke. If you rest, they'll heal quickly. But your arm was broken in several places. The doctors and healers did what they could and fixed the bones, but said to let it rest for two weeks, at least."

"Sounds about right… still, you know if the job's really done?" Arthur asked, unsure if they had killed them all.

"Yes. I went back and checked the fortress. The fire died out, but it seems that the goblins were all dead."

"At least that's one thing we got right… still, now I gotta go home lookin' like this. I'll never hear the end of it from Spearman," Arthur groaned, placing a hand over his face. "You shoulda let me die in the fortress…"

"I see. I'll keep that in mind for next time."

Arthur lowered his hand from his face to look at Goblin Slayer, his neutral helmet staring back at him. He couldn't stop a laugh from erupting, though he regretted it as he felt his lungs strain.

"Damn that hurts… still, happy to see you're learnin'..."

"My partner likes to joke a lot."

* * *

Arthur had spent another day at the farm, putting off going back to the guild for the moment as he rested. Arthur strode out into the early morning light, his splint adjusted and hanging in a sling. He leaned back against the fence lining the farm, staring out at a rising sun. In the back, he could hear the small rustle of movement from Goblin Slayer who, as he easily guessed, was checking for goblin prints. He wasn't expecting anything less and for the most part figured that would have been a daily routine for a guy like him.

"I have to say… this land that you live on is… beautiful," Arthur said, watching as the orange hue of sunlight reflected off the far spread greenland. It was moments like these that made his worldly traverse worth it all.

"Yeah, it is."

Arthur spared him a glance, watching as his partner pushed aside small blades of grass. He opened his mouth, tempted to give Goblin Slayer some sass for spending so much time on his search. But he didn't. Because looking at the helmet he had rarely seen removed from his head, Arthur understood. There was a reason for his caution. A reason for his hate. It all centered on goblins. Having seen what the monsters were capable of, Arthur could only imagine what they did to leave an effect on this man. It made his stomach churn.

 _We've all got our hangups._

"Morning."

Arthur craned his head to the left, seeing Cow Girl's uncle approaching him with a neutral frown. The previous night's dinner had made it clear to Arthur that he wasn't exactly pleased to have him as a surprise guest, but was also still accommodating him. Arthur had no right to complain.

"Mornin' to ya," Arthur greeted, tipping his hat to the farmer.

"Hello," was Goblin Slayer's short greeting, still mulling through blades of grass.

"Hard at work as usual…" the Cow Girl's uncle sighed, leaning back on the fence next to Arthur. "You sure picked an interesting man to partner with."

"No kiddin'. But I guess I like havin' someone around as crazy as I am," Arthur laughed, though the man didn't seem very amused by the joke.

"He's as crazy as _you_?" He asked, raising a brow in wonder. "You don't seem much like him at all."

"Well, not all crazy men wear it on their sleeves," Arthur shrugged, sparing the man a sideways glance. "Some of us are just better at hidin' it."

The man stared at him incredulously, likely trying to decide whether or not what Arthur said was a joke or not. Arthur decided to spare him the deep thought, giving a laugh and slapping him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm just messin' with ya. He's just good at killin' things. Makes workin' together easy."

The rancher seemed to process his words, giving an awkward smile and chuckle, nodding. "I-I see. That makes a lot of sense. Sorry, I didn't mean to give you a hard time."

"No problem, mister. Guess I'd be curious about a guy who hangs out with him, too," Arthur chuckled, both men sparing a glance back at Goblin Slayer. He had moved on from his previous position but wasn't far, still mulling through the grass.

"I worry about him, sometimes. Not because I care about him, though. I'm more worried about how my niece sees him," the rancher sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, I didn't miss the looks she gave him, neither," Arthur smirked, finding it rather amusing. Goblin Slayer was a more popular man with women than he had realized.

"He's not the boy she knew ten years ago. But she's still…" The rancher trailed off, shaking his head. "I don't care much for what happens to him, personally. But… do me a favor and keep an eye on him, will you? He seems to trust you quite a bit. And I don't want to see my niece cry over his corpse. She's done enough of that in her life."

Arthur looked at the man in wonder, but didn't push the subject. He looked back forward, letting out a small breath. "I guess I hadn't realized that… she mighta suffered somethin' too. Was it… related to what happened to him?"

The farmer looked down, his expression grave. "Figures he hasn't told you. Though I wouldn't be surprised if he was willing to share it casually."

"It's not exactly somethin' you ask straight out," Arthur said, scratching his neck. "If you don't ask, he ain't sayin' nothin'. But some things, I just don't wanna ask."

A short silence fell between them, the two staring out at the sunrise as the hue of light began to brighten. As they stood there, Arthur heard the approach of a wagon (something he was probably too familiar with), his eyes trailing to the dirt path that led to the center of the barn.

"Perfect timing. I was wondering when he'd be back," the farmer said, turning to Arthur and giving a small nod. "I'm heading off to work."

"Sure. Thank you again for your hospitality," Arthur nodded back, watching the man walk toward the center of the barn. Arthur instinctively reached into his jacket pocket, almost putting a cigarette into his mouth until he realized what he was doing. _Not exactly the wisest idea while my lungs are black._ Arthur sighed, stuffing the cigarette away as he pushed off the fence and walked back toward the barn. Goblin Slayer was now checking by the fences near the buildings, and figured he'd bother him again.

"Hey, boss! Hope I didn't keep you waitin' too long!" Arthur heard a new voice as he passed the wagon that rode up, though it sounded strangely familiar to him. Familiar enough to make him stop dead in his tracks.

"You're perfectly on time, Ranch Hand. Did you get everything or do you need to do another run?" Cow Girl's uncle asked, the two on the other side of the wagon. Arthur was curious, the familiarity of the voice driving him nuts. He did a short walk around the horses, deciding to satisfy his curiosity.

 _If it ain't no one, it ain't no one._ He told himself as he reached the opposite side. To his annoyance, the man's back was turned toward him and a wide brimmed hat covered his head and neck, currently in the middle of a chat with the farmer.

"Hm? Did you need something else, Gunslinger?" The farmer asked, noticing him watching them.

"S-Sorry, guess I was just…" Arthur muttered, feeling awkward at being caught checking.

"Gunslinger? I been wonderin' about…" The Ranch Hand turned.

Arthur's heart stopped.

The box of goods in the Ranch Hand's grip suddenly dropped to the ground.

The two stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity, recognition in both of their eyes.

"... Arthur?"

.

.

.

"... Lenny?"

 **To be continued…**

 **Alright, we're finally done with this. To be honest, this chapter took a bit longer than I would have liked to finish. I was mostly struggling with how I handled the end of the goblin fight scene more than anything else, though. I wasn't sure how I wanted to wrap that up, and wasn't even sure how I handled it in the end, either. Plus the thought of how I wanted to end the chapter was something I've been wrestling with for a while, myself.**

 **Bringing in more RDR characters has been something I've wrestled with. Mostly because I wanted to make sure that their appearance in the story had meaning. Just making some of Arthur's friends appear without meaning just… didn't sit right with me. But, as you can all see, I've committed to having Lenny join us.**

 **Now, his role in this story won't be what you think, perhaps. He has a purpose, something that will have an effect on the world around Arthur and Goblin Slayer as a whole, but what that role is you'll have to wait and see. Just know that if an RDR character does make an appearance, they have a reason for being around rather than just being a cameo.**

 **Also something I want to note, I don't know if the rate that Arthur has been ranked up is right. Goblin Slayer's series hasn't been clear on how fast one can class up like that. But taking into account Arthur's penchant for constantly working and doing good work at that has helped his reputation in the guild and with those around him. Sorry if you feel like I gave him too much too fast. The story just isn't clear about it.**

 **Anyways, that's it for this chapter. I hope you liked it and enjoyed the surprise appearance of everyone's favorite drinking buddy. Please be sure to leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind. Thanks :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I own neither Goblin Slayer or the Red Ded Redemption series**

Chapter 5

 _ **Lenny is here. Lenny is**_ _ **HERE**_ _ **.**_

 _ **It has been sometime since I've felt so happy yet confused in my life. There is much I wish to ask him. I'm sure he's got quite a bit he has to ask me, too. Some things I'm afraid to answer. But I will answer them, nonetheless.**_

 _ **Waiting is a pain. We hugged for a long moment before he told me to wait. He has to finish some work before we can really talk. So here I am, writing this as I try and wrap my head around the fact that LENNY IS HERE.**_

"Are you alright?"

Arthur jumped when he heard Goblin Slayer's voice close by, releasing a tense breath as he looked back at the helm his partner wore.

"Y-Yeah, I… I'm actually great, all things considered," said Arthur, letting out a small but genuine chuckle.

"You know Ranch Hand?" Goblin Slayer tilted his head in question.

"Oh, yeah. From… from my old life," Arthur said, thankful that the expression had several meanings. "Ain't seen him in… in a long time."

"I see." Goblin Slayer looked across the farm, watching as Lenny was doing the last of his duties, loading off several bales into the cow field. "I'm going to head into town. I want to hunt goblins."

"Already?" Arthur asked, looking up at Goblin Slayer in question. "You took a hit yourself, if I remember right."

"I'm okay, now. It wasn't heavy," Goblin Slayer said, turning around. "Your guns are at your horse. I went back to the fortress and retrieved your shotgun. It wasn't damaged."

"Ah, right. You had to drop it durin' that fight. Thanks," Arthur nodded, scratching his neck. "After I'm done talkin' to Len-er, Ranch Hand, I'll be back in town. Though I doubt I'll be doin' too many quests like this."

"Okay." Goblin Slayer nodded, beginning to walk away. Arthur watched him for a moment before looking back down at his arm and sighing.

"Hey, partner. Why don't you grab the shotgun before you go?" Arthur said, causing Goblin Slayer to pause midstep. "I ain't gonna be usin' it for a bit. Might come in handy in a tight spot."

"... If I die, the goblins will take it." Arthur smirked when he noticed that he hadn't completely refused the idea.

"You ain't gettin' killed. And if you do, I'll get the gun back myself," Arthur reassured, closing his journal up and stuffing it away into his satchel. "But do me a favor and stay alive so I don't have to work so hard gettin' it back."

"... Okay." Goblin Slayer nodded, now changing his destination to the horse stall. Arthur smiled, feeling some relief.

 _I'm sure he'll do just fine with it._

"H-Hey, sir."

Arthur's head snapped back up to see Lenny passing by Goblin Slayer, his partner giving him a short nod in greeting before continuing forward. The current ranch hand watched Goblin Slayer leave before looking back at Arthur, a smile crossing his lips.

"Interesting choice in partner you got there, Arthur. Though I guess you used to work pretty well with Charles," Lenny said, his voice laced with humor.

"Well, what can I say? The strong, silent types are good at killin'," Arthur chuckled, slowly pushing off the log he sat on to meet Lenny. The two stood there for a long moment, trying to find the words. But as Arthur opened his mouth to say something, he found Lenny quickly closing the distance, hugging him again in the same manner they had before. Arthur returned it with his good arm, patting his back.

"Never… never did I dream I… I would see any of you again," Lenny admitted, slowly breaking the embrace to stand a bit back from Arthur. "Seein' you hear… it's a miracle."

"It's somethin', alright…" Arthur chuckled, scratching the scrag of his chin awkwardly. "I uh… The last time I saw you, I… you..."

Images flashed in Arthur's mind. He immediately recalled the day of the bank heist gone wrong. Lenny had ran ahead of him to scout for an escape route. The lawmen had come up the stairs and, without warning, gunned the young man down without a word. Arthur remembered kneeling over Lenny's body, holding it up as he searched for any sign of life.

The pain Arthur felt that day could only be matched by a few other times in his life. None of which he ever liked to think about.

"I know, Arthur," Lenny's quiet voice interrupted his dark thoughts, pulling his gaze back up to the boy. Lenny's smile was weak and forced, but still reassuring. "I know."

A silence fell upon them again. Arthur could only nod his head in understanding. Lenny remembered like he did. And he imagined that it was even worse for him in his last moments.

"Come on… let's sit and talk," Arthur finally said, waving his good arm for Lenny to follow. The two sat down at the log, Arthur now eager to keep things going. "How uh… how long you been here?"

"Like… here _here_?" Lenny asked, looking at Arthur with a raised brow. "About… a little over a year and a half, I'd say."

"That long, huh?" Arthur muttered, looking forward at the farm. "Sounds about right. You did uh… pass a while before I did. I've been here over seven months, at least."

"Seven months… and we only ran into each other now," Lenny chuckled dryly, scratching his head. "Funny how things go, huh?"

"No kiddin'. You been here all this time… right at my partner's home, too," Arthur said, shaking his head briefly. "That man has a strange sense of humor."

"'Man'? What man?" Lenny asked curiously.

"You know, mister black suit and pipe hat. Met me after I died before sendin' me here," Arthur said, recalling his 'meeting' in the after life. "Kinda reminded me of Trelawny. At least how he looked. Certainly didn't amuse me nearly the same."

"You… met somebody after dyin'?" Lenny asked, sounding completely confused. "Because I don't remember a thing after… you know. I just… heard a voice before windin' up in the forest nearby."

Arthur's brow furrowed, looking at Lenny in surprise. "Really? So… you didn't come here with… anythin'? No guns or… nothin'?"

"Nah. Just the clothes on my back. No buckshot holes in it, thankfully," Lenny tried to joke, though Arthur could hear the hesitation in his voice. "Judgin' from what stories I heard about the Gunslinger though, it sounds like you came with an armory."

"Pretty much. Though I didn't get to take all my guns with me," Arthur admitted, scratching his scraggly beard as his thoughts were still on the previous topic. "So he met me but not you… why?"

"Not sure. I guess… whoever you met, thought you had somethin' to do more than they thought I did," Lenny shrugged, unsure how to answer that himself.

"Yeah, maybe…" Arthur grunted. _Or maybe I just have a lot more to make up for compared to the kid._

"So, Arthur…" the cowboy dragged his attention back to Lenny. "After I got done in… what happened to the gang? What happened to… well, to you?"

Arthur was dreading this topic during his anxious wait. "The gang, well… the gang went to shit. Dutch was losin' it after everything that happened, or… maybe he was always like that. But that snake, Micah… he was a rat. It was him feedin' all that information to the Pinkertons."

"Shit. I knew Micah was a piece of shit and crazy as hell, but… I didn't think he was a rat on top of all that," Lenny clicked his tongue in frustration, balling his fists on his pants. "We never should have brought him into the gang."

"Yeah. We all mighta had a part to play in things goin' sour in the end, but it was because of Micah that the gang fell apart. On top of rattin' us out to the Pinkertons, that bastard was gettin' in Dutch's ear. Started dividin' the gang in the midst of all that shit goin' on. Bill and Javier were gettin' brainwashed by their loyalty to Dutch while John, Charles and I were tryin' to keep things from goin' completely outta control. Sadie, too."

"Why would Dutch listen to him? Especially over you of all people," Lenny said, his face scrunching up in confusion.

"I don't know… maybe because I… I wasn't tellin' him what he wanted to hear no more," Arthur said, his eyes trailing across the farmland. "There were a few plans I didn't agree with. He even decided to let John stay locked up. I had to break him out with Sadie behind his back. After that… him and Micah got real cozy with one another. In the end… the gang got split up, one way or another, after Pinkertons finally came lookin'."

"Damn… I… I had no idea how things worked out for y'all, but…" Lenny struggled to find the words, shaking his head. "Damn…"

"Yeah… After you and Hosea were gone, it… it was over for us."

Silence fell. Lenny sat there, processing the information. Arthur remained quiet, giving him a moment to think everything through. Arthur didn't mind, because he had an idea about what his next question would be.

"Arthur… what happened to you? How did you…" Lenny's voice remained hesitant.

"Not how you think, I'd bet," Arthur said with a humorless chuckle. "I uh… I got TB. From a man I beat to death. On one of Strauss's collection jobs."

"Wait… you got TB?" Lenny narrowed his eyes in disbelief. "But… for how long?"

"Remember after that bank job we pulled in Strawberry? That man I went to collect on?"

"Shit… you had it that whole time?" Lenny mumbled, looking down at his feet. "I… I'm sorry, Arthur, I…"

"Don't worry about it. I can hardly say I got the worst outta the deal," Arthur said, waving a hand as he tried to dismiss it. "In fact, I… after I got diagnosed, it gave me a sorta… clarity, I guess. Helped me figure out the right thing to do. And who to do right by."

Lenny nodded in understanding. "I'm… I'm happy to hear that, Arthur. A lotta people… people like Me and Hosea… don't get that chance. I didn't get that chance until I came… here, I guess. A little late to finally think though, huh?"

"Just a little," Arthur chuckled, trying to bring some humor into the conversation.

"So… in the end, what did you do?"

"I… I made sure to get John and his family out," Arthur said, looking back up at Lenny. "The love of that family… it deserved a chance at somethin' good. Not the shit life that the rest of us had to live. So in the end, I made damn sure that John made it."

"I see… I guess, in the end… you got do the right thing before goin' out, huh?"

"I suppose so. Not that it was to hope for any sorta forgiveness or nothin', but… I dunno," Arthur scratched his cheek. "I certainly wasn't expectin' this after dyin'."

"That's somethin' we share," Lenny chuckled hesitantly, eyes focused on the ground. Arthur looked at Lenny from the side, seeing that he was having trouble absorbing all the information he gave him. With a small breath, Arthur put on a smile.

"Enough about my pathetic exit from our previous lives. How about you, Lenny? What've you been up to since you got here? How long you been farmin' for?"

"Almost as long as I've been here, honestly," Lenny shrugged, placing his hands on his knees. "Cow Girl found me in the forest and helped me to the farm. I didn't have nowhere to go and no idea what to do. Her uncle offered to let me stay here so long as I worked hard until I got back on my feet. Ended up bein' pretty good at farmin', so I stayed and continued to help around the place."

"So how long did it take you to figure out the namin' thing?" Arthur asked with a smirk.

"Arthur… if there was _anything_ in this world I could not get used to, it was that," Lenny laughed, a genuine smile on his lips. "For the first few weeks, I kept gettin' called Ranch Hand instead of my own name and barely answered people."

"Hah! I can see how that'd be a problem. Luckily, the creepy man I met told me about it beforehand. Ended up with the name Gunslinger 'cause of that."

"Shit, you didn't just bring your guns. You got to know a little bit about this place, too?" Lenny complained, looking at him in disbelief and amusement.

"To be fair, I also got dropped in the middle of a goblin cave as my first impression of this place. It's how I met Goblin Slayer, too," Arthur explained, causing Lenny to wince.

"Damn. A goblin cave? Judgin' from what Cow Girl told me and your partner's obvious obsession, I'm sure that wasn't pleasant."

"Considerin' I almost died again, yeah. Pleasant's not really the word I'd use for it," Arthur said, shaking his head. "Still… in spite of all that, can't say things went bad from there. Started workin' at the guild, partnered up with Goblin Slayer. It's been… pretty nice. Once I got settled in, I could finally appreciate the freedom I got from bein' in this place. Roamin' that open country. Helpin' people like I thought we was before. This adventurin' stuff really is somethin'."

"I've heard a few stories about you, too. Lotta people are startin' to whisper about the up and comin' Gunslinger, you know?" Lenny smirked, causing Arthur to let out a short laugh. "People were callin' you the Frontier's Greatest Hunter."

"Really?" Arthur raised a brow at that. "That's the first time I've heard it. You kill a few animals and people just start givin' you titles, huh?"

"Well, the Frontier is pretty short on real hunters. I'm sure there are a few outside of it, but you were always pretty good at it after Charles taught you a few things," Lenny pointed out. "Plus, I heard you killed a manticore single handedly. That's pretty impressive if the stories are true."

"Yeah, I did. But it sure as hell wasn't easy. Bastard ate a lotta bullets before finally dyin'. Almost took my head off a couple times, too," Arthur shook his head at the memory. "Still, people seemed to make a big enough deal about it."

"They're just givin' credit where credit's due," Lenny shrugged. "That does remind me, though. How do you still got bullets after bein' here for seven months?"

"Magic guns, I guess. Kinda hard to explain," Arthur admitted, scratching his cheek.

"I think magic guns is all you need to say. Anything's believable after comin' here." Lenny laughed, Arthur quickly sharing it.

"Can't disagree with you on that point. But what about you, Lenny? I'm surprised you ain't doin' no adventurin' for yourself," Arthur said, looking at the younger man curiously. "You were always a good fighter. You'd probably do well enough on your own."

Lenny suddenly became quiet, his eyes trailing back to the ground as he played with his thumb nail. "I'll be honest… the thought crossed my mind a couple times. But… dying the way I did… it mighta seemed quick, Arthur, but… those short few seconds of pain and life. They were the scariest thing I ever experienced. So much goes through your head. I'm sure you know, but… it left me with a terrible fear."

Arthur's expression softened. He knew exactly what he meant. His death hadn't come swiftly, that was for sure. Even in his last moments of drawing breath, the hurricane of thoughts were only silenced as he felt peace from the sight of the rising sun to the east.

"The longer I kept farmin', the more I thought that maybe honest work wasn't so bad. That… here, there was no reason for me to be some no good outlaw or some aspiring adventurer. No reason to rush out and maybe die again," Lenny continued, his eyes drawn back up green farmland. "It ain't glamorous, but it ain't bad neither. And while the people here got some of their own problems, color ain't one of 'em. Made it real easy to fit in, you know?"

"I know. I know…" Arthur nodded, reaching a hand out and gripping Lenny's shoulder in reassurance. "I understand. You chose to do somethin' different. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. Hell, that's why we're here, ain't it?"

"I hear that," Lenny smiled, reassured by Arthur's words.

Arthur nodded before a thought popped into his head, looking back up at Lenny. "By the way… you said you heard a voice after you died. What exactly did you hear?"

Lenny scratched his neck, giving a shrug. "I'm not exactly sure. Though I'm almost positive it was uh… the Big Man himself, you know? He told me 'Keep others from suffering the fate you did'. Don't know exactly what that means, but… the voice was so relaxin'. It took away all my worries after dyin'. But before I could even question the voice, I ended up here. And that's the end of that. Just one sentence."

"I see…" Arthur nodded, not sure what to say. He certainly didn't feel the same way when speaking to that Stranger. If anything, he felt only dread in his presence.

"Settin' me aside, I guess you weren't really ready to pick up the farm life, huh?"

"No, I suppose not," Arthur chuckled, releasing his shoulder. "I ain't no outlaw no more. I ain't hurtin' people that don't deserve it. But I still feel like… I should be doin' somethin' with what I got. Bein' an adventurer… well, I guess it's perfect for a no good gunman like me who's got a lot to make up for."

"I understand. Plus, you got to keep your guns. Makes a lotta sense to me," Lenny nodded.

"Exactly. They used to be for doin' more harm than good. Thought it was about time that… the opposite was true." Arthur sighed, twiddling his fingers.

"Well… if the stories are right, sounds like you're doin' just that. I'm happy for you, Arthur," Lenny said, patting his shoulder firmly. "But that aside, there is one thing botherin' me…"

"What's that?"

"Are you… a bit skinnier or somethin'? You look almost a little…" Lenny tilted his head.

"Younger? Yeah, because I sorta am," Arthur laughed, sitting up straight. "That stranger said he took ten years off. Didn't realize what he meant 'til I saw a mirror."

"Ten years? Damn, that's pretty nice!" Lenny laughed, holding his chin in wonder. "So what's that make you now? Twenty five?"

"Roughly. Been a while since I had to remember my birthday for anythin'," Arthur smirked, rubbing his face. "Nice to have some of those cracks smoothed out at least."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't get any years taken off. I'm good at my age, thanks," Lenny said, eliciting a laugh from Arthur.

"Man… It's real good to see you, Lenny," Arthur put a hand on his shoulder again. A thought suddenly came to him, causing Arthur's smile to fall. "Have you uh… seen anyone else?"

Lenny's expression fell, the young farmer shaking his head. "Sorry, Arthur. You're the first familiar face I seen. Haven't seen Hosea or Sean. Wish I did."

Arthur nodded, letting out a breath. "Guess I thought I'd just hope a bit. Considerin' I found you and all."

"Well, you never know. It's a big world, after all," Lenny said, giving a hopeful smile.

"Yeah, you're right… but let's focus on the here and now," Arthur smirked, wrapping an arm around Lenny's shoulders. "I mean, how many times does anybody get a second chance to see each other after dyin', huh? Seriously, Lenny, it is _good_ to see you."

"Trust me, Arthur. I feel just the same," Lenny smiled, nudging him with his elbow. "You got no idea how… okay, maybe you do. But it was definitely crazy seein' you here like this."

"Yeah, I'm sure. And you know what an occasion like this calls for?" Arthur asked, a grin slowly spreading across his lips.

"What?" Arthur only smiled, waiting for Lenny to catch on. Realization soon hit, the younger of the former outlaw's face morphing into an amused frown.

"That uh… might not be a good idea, Arthur."

"Oh, it isn't, I know. But it's still worth doin'."

"Arthur, do you remember what we did last time?"

"Barely, but I know it was fun."

"Arthur, you got a reputation to uphold as an adventurer, don't you?"

"One night o' drinkin' ain't gonna hurt! Dependin' on how much damage we do."

"Arthur…"

"Lenny…"

"Arthur, no…"

"Oh Lenny, yes."

"... Alright, alright. We'll have _one_ night of drinkin' to celebrate."

"Now that's the kid I remember ridin' with."

"We're gonna regret this so much…"

"Probably, but only for the mornin' after."

* * *

"Ho-ho~! Look at you, Gunslinger! Ain't this a sight!"

Arthur released a tired breath, resting his good hand on his hip. He had returned to the guild soon after his talk with Lenny, the two deciding to reserve their night of drinking for the next day. Unfortunately for him, Spearman, Witch and a few others at the guild happen to be between jobs, all having taken a rest in the tavern and immediately spotting him the moment he walked inside. And Arthur wasn't going to be able to hide

"Get in a rough scrap there, Gunslinger?" Heavy Swordsman asked, an amused grin across his face. He was a man with bulky armor on his upper body. He had a long white cape wrapped around his neck that flowed down the back and two notable scars on the left side of face.

"Alright, alright. Get your licks in now and outta the way," Arthur huffed, lowering his head so that his hat could cover his face.

"Ah, come on~, Gunslinger! What do you take us for?" Spearman jeered, grinning as he approached Arthur and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "No need to kick a mule while it's down, right?"

"Yeah~! Come on, tell us what happened!" Heavy Swordsman laughed, approaching from the other side and gripping his shoulder lightly.

"I'm sure Goblin Slayer told you enough," Arthur grumbled as he allowed them to pull him into the tavern side of the hall, Witch and Female Knight watching him approach with amused grins.

"He told us… some of it. But only as much… as he usually says," Witch informed him, drawing her pipe out and sticking it between her lips.

"Hey, careful with that! Gunslinger here's still got some soft lungs to worry about," Spearman snarked, earning a laugh from Heavy Swordsman and Female Knight.

"Very funny," Arthur drawled, sighing as he took a seat at the table with them.

"Do you know how long until you're fully healed?" Female Knight asked, deciding to spare him from any jokes she might have.

"About two weeks. Maybe more, maybe less. Might go see one of those Holy Mother churches and see if they can speed up the process if I get impatient enough," Arthur explained, shrugging in answer. "Oh, by the way, thanks for the help gettin' those items, Witch. I'd probably be dead or a lot worse for wear if it weren't for those."

"Glad I could… help. It would be a shame to… lose you like… that," Witch nodded, crossing one leg over the other.

"Heh. You really like staying busy, huh? Not gonna take a little time off? I know you're not hurting for money with that investment in pencils you started," Heavy Swordsman pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I'll go for a ride through the valley outside town, but I can only do that so long before I get antsy for work. At least while knowin' I got a choice in the matter," Arthur admitted, scratching the scruff of his cheek.

"Well, don't rush too fast into work. You don't wanna lose both arms," Spearman laughed, slapping his back.

"You're hilarious." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Aw, don't be like that! This gives us a chance to have that drinking night we planned last time before you let Goblin Slayer drag you off!" Spearman laughed, leaning forward on his knees. "Hope you're ready to go all out!"

Arthur grinned at that, letting out a laugh. "Actually, I am. Got an old friend droppin' by tomorrow and we was plannin' to have a drink. Guess you can join us, if you think you can keep from talkin' his ear off."

"A friend?" Heavy Swordsman raised a brow, curious.

"Yeah. Someone from… before comin' here. Ran into him while I was healin' up. Good kid. You'll see him soon enough," Arthur said, pushing off the table. "Try not to drink too much tomorrow before he gets here, Spearman. We got a _lotta_ drinkin' to do."

"Heh heh, that's what I like to hear! Hope this friend of yours can keep up!" Spearman grinned, giving a thumbs up.

"Seems that things… will… be a bit… exciting tomorrow night," Witch giggled into her hand.

"Hah! Too bad we've got plans to head out for work tomorrow. I'd have liked to join you!" Heavy Swordsman laughed, looking at Female Knight. "Think we should stay?"

"No, let's not. We've got important business of our own to do. And we need some money," Female Knight sighed. She wasn't against the idea of drinking, but one of them had to be responsible.

"Too bad. You're gonna miss out. But I understand," Arthur chuckled, looking at Spearman. "Hope you're ready for a long night and lotsa drinks."

"Hehe, you don't even have to ask!"

* * *

"Come on! Eat! Eat!" Padfoot Waitress urged him, Arthur sitting there and looking at her with a raised brow.

"Look, Padfoot Waitress, I appreciate the thought, but you don't gotta keep babyin' me like a kid. I can eat just fine." Arthur said, picking up his fork and digging into fried fish she prepared for him.

"I'm just making sure you heal up without a problem! Make sure you eat your whole plate, okay?" Padfoot Waitress pushed, giving him a proud smile as her eyes sparkled.

"I got a broken arm. I ain't starvin'."

"Just hurry up and eat, geez!" Padfoot Waitress whined, sticking her bottom lip out.

"I will! You're the one that ain't lettin' me at this point," Arthur laughed, watching as the waitress huffed and turning her back to him.

"S-Shut up! I better not see a crumb left on that plate!"

"Yes, ma'am." Arthur chuckled, shaking his head as he cut into the fish with his fork.

"Hey…" Arthur looked back up from his plate, Padfoot Waitress still standing there with her back turned to him. She gave him a sideways look, a gentle smile on her lips. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Me too. Thanks for lookin' out for me," Arthur smiled back, tipping his hat to her. "I appreciate it."

Padfoot Waitress's smile became bright, giving a big nod back before skipping off to work. Arthur gave a small chuckle before digging into his food. He didn't spend long on it, quickly cleaning the contents from his plate before wiping his face and leaving the tavern side. He walked up to the front desk, watching as Guild Girl seemed to have a brief reprieve from work.

"Busy day?" Arthur asked, leaning his back against the counter.

"Ah, Mr. Gunslinger. Yes, it ha been pretty busy today," Guild Girl greeted, giving a small sigh. "I almost envy you."

"I wouldn't. Took a club to the arm for me to take a break," Arthur chuckled, causing Guild Girl to wave her arms.

"S-Sorry! I wasn't trying to be-"

"Don't worry about it. No offense taken," Arthur waved a hand, reassuring her.

"Still, sorry about that… so, what are your plans for today?" Guild Girl asked, putting on a smile.

"Just waitin' on a pal of mine. He should be here soon," Arthur said, looking at the fading sunlight coming from the window. "Got some big drinkin' to do tonight. Spearman should be joinin' us, too."

"Ah, I see. Try not to go too crazy, tonight," she giggled, causing Arthur to bark out a laugh.

"No promises there."

"Alright, we're ready!" Arthur looked over his shoulder, watching as a group of teens came from the side office, a bright young boy leading them forward. Judging from their clothing, Arthur guessed the boy was an aspiring knight. Behind him were three girls: one with black hair in a ponytail, dressed in foreign garbs that Arthur would associate with China, one dressed like a witch, though nowhere near as revealing as Witch herself.

The last girl was a particularly innocent and fragile looking girl. She had long blonde hair that stretched down her back to her legs. She wore robes much like that of priestesses of the Holy Earth Mother that Arthur had seen around. She was a beautiful young girl with bright blue eyes and pale skin.

One thing that bothered Arthur about them: they were all kids. Likely fifteen, at the oldest. Arthur might have started his criminal career around that age, if not younger, but that was out of necessity. These kids were jumping into it with a smile. He expected that the day they came of age, they all rushed to join the guild. Arthur couldn't imagine why kids that age were allowed to go on adventures, considering the potential danger involved. Several young adventurers he'd seen pass through the guild around that age never return. Arthur had even found the porcelain tags of a few kids unfortunate enough to pick a goblin nest for their first mission.

"Ah, thank you very much. Here are your tags!" Guild Girl said, giving a professional smile as she fished a box out and handed each of the new adventurers their tags. Arthur lingered by the counter, watching them silently. The only one to notice him seemed to be the priest girl, who looked at him with an innocent tilt of her head.

Arthur drew his eyes away from her, releasing a tired sigh as he pushed off the counter and tapped it with his hand "I'll let you work."

"Oh, okay. I'll speak with you later," Guild Girl gave him a small smile before looking at the young adventurers. "So, have you thought of your first job to take?"

 _Ain't my business. Not like I can do much with this arm,_ Arthur thought to himself, turning away and slowly leaving the group behind.

"Yeah! We saw a goblin cave quest on the board. Can we take that?"

Arthur hesitated, his good hand balling into a fist when he heard that. He spared a short look back at Guild Girl, who spared a quick look at him in worry. A bead of sweat trailed down her cheek, obviously uncomfortable with the idea.

"You… want to hunt goblins?" The young blonde adventurer asked, her voice hesitant.

"W-Well, you can, but… perhaps you should try another quest?" Guild Girl suggested, trying to maintain her professional smile. "Something like cleaning out some giant rats in the sewers would probably be easier for a new group… This won't be an easy quest."

"Nah, we should be just fine! I've handled a few goblins around my village before, no sweat!" The boy bragged, giving a confident smile. "From what the board said, they took a few girls on top of livestock and valuables! They need to get saved as soon as possible."

"I see, but… I'm sure if you wait a little longer, another adventurer will come along and handle it," Guild Girl pushed, her eyes going to Arthur again. He could see the plea for help, though Arthur wasn't sure what she was expecting.

"I believe all of our abilities to be capable enough. Don't you agree?" The Asian attired girl said, looking at the girl dressed as a witch.

"We'll be just fine. Come on, no need to get so worried. Hurry up and decide if you're going to come," she said, her words directed at the priestess. Despite their reassurances, Arthur could see her hesitance. She either had good sense or a lack of confidence in the party. Either way, Arthur would say she was right.

 _Well… I won't have it be said that I didn't try._

"A-Alright. If you think I-"

"You're an excitable bunch, aren't you?" Arthur said, walking back up to the party, greeting them with a tip of his hat. "Rushin' off to a goblin nest like that."

"Oh, hey there!" The young man smiled at him. "That's right. Goblins are pretty easy to handle. I'd say the four of us can take 'em pretty easily."

"Is that right? Well, far be it from me to say different, but let's make sure of that," Arthur said, leaning back against the counter and resting his good hand on the revolver at his hip. "Mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Why would you do that?" The young mage asked, raising a brow in wonder.

"Mr. Gunslinger is an experienced hunter of goblins and is an emerald ranked adventurer," Guild Girl stepped in, giving a relieved smile to Arthur, obviously thankful for his intervention. "If anyone would know if you're ready for a goblin hunt, it would be him."

"Wow, an emerald ranked? Okay, ask away!" The young boy said, grinning in anticipation.

"Alright, then. Who's leadin' the party up front?"

"That'd be me! I'll make sure to keep my friends safe as the vanguard!" The boy announced, drawing his sword. "I'll be able to cut through anything that gets in my way!"

"Nice sword. Mind if I see it?" Arthur asked, extending a hand. The boy held it out, allowing Arthur to take it. He inspected the quality, giving a short nod. "Hey, Guild Girl? Where exactly is the goblin nest?"

"Oh, it's… in a cave," she answered, looking down at the parchment with the job.

"I see. This sword's too long, then. Get somethin' shorter like an axe or club," Arthur said, holding the blade back out to the young warrior. The boy blinked in surprise, slowly taking it back. "Short sword works, too."

"Wh-What do you mean? What's wrong with my sword?"

"Ain't nothin' technically wrong with it. Except that it's too long," Arthur said, pulling out his pouch of cigarettes and putting one in his mouth. "You go in a cave with that, swingin' it around, you're gonna hit the wall or the roof. You do that, you're gonna end up dead, kid."

The boy's mouth opened, wanting to respond but failing to find his words. So Arthur continued, his eyes moving to the girls.

"By the way, are you all wearin' chainmail under those clothes?"

"Chainmail?" The black haired girl raised a brow, looking at the other girls in question, with each shaking their heads in denial. "No, why?"

"Because goin' in there without chainmail is a quick way to get stabbed or shot," Arthur pointed out, striking a match on his boot and lighting his cigarette. "The boy's the only one wearin' armor, and even that ain't much. If just one goblin gets close enough and stabs one of you, you'll be in big trouble."

"C-Come on, they're just goblins. They're as small and weak as children. And even dumber!" The boy argued, trying to remain confident in spite of Arthur's words. "Even if a couple come at us, we should be just fine!"

"Really? Tell me, then. What're you gonna do when a hobgoblin comes at you?" Arthur asked. This question made the kids pause and look around.

"A hobgoblin..? Wh-What's that?" The blonde girl asked nervously, her hands wringing around her staff.

"Really? None of you know?" Arthur asked, looking at each one with a bit of exasperation. Each of the kids looked uncomfortable, looking away nervously. Arthur brought a hand to his face. "Jesus… you kids are less prepared than I thought. A hobgoblin's a big brute. Ain't nowhere near the size of a regular one. Three times as big and much stronger. They get a hand on one of you, they'll toss you around like a doll in a dog's mouth."

"Th-There are goblins like that?" The same girl said, her eyes widening in disturbance.

"Sure. And they're nasty bastards." Arthur nodded in confirmation.

"E-Even so, I still have my magic," the mage girl said this time, holding up her staff. "Even one that big shouldn't be a problem."

"If you say so. But what'll you do if you get stabbed?" Arthur asked, pulling the cigarette from his lips and blowing out a cloud. "If you don't fix that up quick, you'll be leavin' everybody else to deal with that big guy on their own as well as the small ones."

"W-Well… I could heal her or the others with one of my miracles…" the blonde girl suggested, but Arthur was well aware of what priestesses were capable of.

"That is a good point. But does that miracle work on poison?"

The girl blinked. "P-Poison?"

"Tell me you kids know that much. Goblins sometimes dip their weapons in poison that'll kill you slow if it ain't cured," Arthur explained, looking around again. Silence was his answer, causing him to shake his head. "Just dandy. You kids aren't close to ready for this."

"B-But they're just-"

"Goblins? Yeah, they are. And guess what, boy?" Arthur stooped close to the young man's face, causing him to recoil somewhat as his voice became disturbingly low "Those goblins would eat you up and spit you out. Except the women. They'd take their time handlin' them and let me be frank, what they would do are things I do not care to imagine or say. You kids go into that cave the way you are now, you're all dead. Ain't none of you ready."

Arthur backed away, looking across the group of teens. All of them were stunned silent, looking up at him in either offense or hurt. "Go hunt some rats in the sewer. That's a much easier job. Rats ain't nearly as complicated."

"Y-You're wrong!" The boy suddenly said, his confidence replaced with anger as he grit his teeth. "We've all been working hard until today! There's no way we'd get taken out on our first quest so easily!"

"Trainin' and workin' hard don't mean much once you get out there and see things for yourself, boy," Arthur said bluntly, putting the cigarette back in his mouth. "Don't let your pride get you and your friends killed. Be smart and think about what you'll do next."

The young boy bit his bottom lip, looking down and balling his fists in frustration. "You're… you're wrong!" He snapped, turning on a heel and storming away.

"H-Hey, Warrior!" The black haired girl called out, her and the mage quickly following him as he headed for the door. Arthur watched them go, giving a small shake of his head before his eyes trailed to the remaining girl. Unlike the others, she didn't seem hurt or upset at his words, only turning to him and giving a small smile.

"Um… thank you," she said, bowing her head a bit. "I didn't know a lot of things that you said about goblins, and… seeing how little I knew about them, I'm glad you decided to speak with us first."

"Well… at least one o' you has got some sense," Arthur said, releasing a tired breath. "And what I said don't only apply to goblins. Make sure you prepare for any quest you take, even killin' rats in the sewer. One slip up, and it could be your last."

"Okay, I'll remember that! Thank you," she said, giving him a gentle smile before looking at the door. "Still… I should make sure they're okay. They didn't seem too happy."

"Boy was probably ready to become some big hero. Life ain't that easy, sadly," Arthur shrugged.

"R-Right. Well, thank you again." the girl bowed once more before turning around and heading for the door.

"Hey, girl," Arthur called out, causing her to pause a moment. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I-I'm Priestess," She said, smiling again.

"Nice to meet you, Priestess. Gunslinger," Arthur answered, fishing into his satchel and pulling a bottle out. "Here, take this." He tossed it to her, the girl blinking as she fumbled it to her chest, thankfully catching it.

"O-Oh, thank you. What is it?"

"It's a health cure. It'll handle most poisons should you happen to need it," Arthur said, closing his satchel up. "Think of it as your first step to gettin' prepared. I'd like to see you around the place more than just once, so keep that thing close."

"Oh… okay! Thank you again!" She smiled, bowing in appreciation before rushing out. Arthur smirked, feeling some satisfaction from the girl's response.

"I owe you thanks, too," he heard Guild Girl, looking back to see her giving a gentle smile. "Those kids might not like what you said, but they needed to hear it. I don't think that I could have persuaded them."

"Kids like that are always goin' into things half cocked. Always in a rush to be heroes," Arthur shook his head, putting the cigarette back into his mouth. "And without someone to tell 'em differently. Fifteen's too young for a job like this."

"Maybe… but that's just how things have always been done," Guild Girl shrugged half heartedly. "Men and Women are considered adults at the age of fifteen. Even if they're inexperienced, they can go on quests."

"Hm. Well, somethin' needs to change. Too many kids gettin' killed 'cause of that." Arthur sighed, putting his cigarette out on his boot heel. The doors to the guild swung open, drawing both of their attention up. Arthur smiled, moving forward as Lenny walked in.

"Well, took you long enough. Thought I was gonna have to start drinkin' without you."

"I hope you didn't. Last thing you need is to start gettin' wasted before we even start!" Lenny joked, the two clasping hands.

Arthur spared a look back before pulling Lenny forward. "Hey, Guild Girl. Got someone I'd like ya to meet. This here's Ranch Hand, an old pal o' mine."

"Oh, this was the friend you were waiting for?" Guild Girl raised a brow before smiling and extending a hand out. "Nice to meet you, Ranch Hand! Mr. Gunslinger has been a regular here and a good friend. I hope you'll make sure he won't get into too much trouble drinking tonight."

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Lenny smiled, reaching out and shaking her hand. "And I'll do my best, but I doubt I'll be able to keep him in check. Gunslinger here's always been pretty wild when he drinks."

"You're one to talk. Kid might look innocent enough, but he's no better than me when he really gets goin'," Arthur laughed, slapping his shoulder.

"Well, I hope you guys won't cause too much damage. Have fun," Guild Girl giggled.

"Oh, come on, now. I ain't that bad… most of the time," Arthur snickered, turning around with Lenny and heading for the tavern side. "Well, catch you later then."

"She seems nice. You uh… you know," Lenny asked quietly as they started to walk away.

"What? No, no. She's uh… got more interest in the strong, _silent_ types, if you catch my meanin'." Arthur smirked, watching as Lenny tilted his head in question before his eyes lit up in realization.

"Goddamn, no way! You tellin' me she's into Goblin Slayer too?!"

"Yup. I'm guessin' you noticed the looks Cow Girl gives him, then?" Arthur chuckled, the two slowly approaching the bar.

"Not at first. It was kinda a bummer when I did find out, though. I was actually startin' to get a bit sweet on Cow Girl, to be honest," Lenny admitted with a disappointed sigh.

"Really? Well, she certainly seemed like a good woman."

"Oh, she is, Arthur. A real good woman. But I know a lost cause when I see one," Lenny groaned, the both of them leaning forward on the bar.

"Ah, don't say that. If anyone's a lost cause, it's Goblin Slayer. You still got plenty of chances left," Arthur nudged him, putting a few coins on the bar. "Three beers, please."

"Three?" asked Lenny.

"Yeah. We got another pal o' mine comin' by to join us. You'll like him. He'll kinda remind you of Sean, except… well, I'd say they're pretty comparable when it comes to bein' a blowhard. Though don't tell him I said this, but he's actually good at fightin'," Arthur said, sparing a look around the tavern.

"Oh, you really are tryin' to turn this into a party, huh?" Lenny laughed. "Come on, Arthur. We don't have to drink _that_ much."

"Yo~, Gunslinger! About time," Spearman's voice echoed, the two looking back to see him approaching from the back entrance. "Thought you might still be talking to those kids since I walked in."

"Ah, there he is. Ranch Hand, this is my pal Spearman. Spearman, Ranch Hand." Arthur said, putting a bottle out for Spearman next to him.

"Nice to meet ya. I think I heard a few stories about you if you're that same silver ranked adventurer people talk about," Lenny said, shaking hands with Spearman.

"That's me! Sounds like you know some good people if they talk about me," Spearman laughed, grinning as he returned the shake.

"People actually talk about him? Shit, and here I thought he did all the talkin' himself," Arthur said as the three turn back to the bar.

"Make all the jokes you want, but people can't ignore a legend when they see one. Bards probably sing a few songs about me, too," Spearman said with a cocky grin.

"Yeah. They sing about how much you like to sing about yourself," Lenny joked, causing Spearman to stumble while Arthur laughed.

"Tch! I see why you guys are friends. Is everyone you know a joker, Gunslinger?" Spearman huffed in amusement.

"I don't know many people, so… maybe," Arthur shrugged before holding up his bottle. "Cheers."

"Cheers!" Spearman and Lenny repeated, each one taking a quick swig of their drinks. They let out satisfied gasps, setting their bottles down.

"Man… who'd have thought we'd be havin' a drink together again, huh?" Arthur said, a nostalgic smile on his face.

"Not me, that's for sure. A lot… a lot's happened for us. Been a long time comin'." Lenny nodded, taking another sip from his bottle.

"Ah, come on, you two. You talk like a couple of old bags," Spearman said, shaking his head before grinning. "Look at us! We've got plenty of years in us! The past is the past! You've got a lotta more memories to make ahead, dontcha?"

Lenny and Arthur raised a brow, looking at one another and giving half shrugs. "You know somethin', Spearman. Sometimes, on very few occasions, you do say somethin' worth sayin'."

"Shut up! I say smart stuff all the time!" Spearman snarked back, the three laughing before taking much longer swigs from their bottles and finishing them off. "Hah! Bartender, another round!"

"Alright, slow down, you two." Lenny laughed, putting his hands up. "Let's try and keep from goin' _too_ crazy already."

* * *

 **(Red Dead Redemption 2 OST: A Quiet TIme)**

"I'm tellin'-tellin' you boys that you both are just bein' a couple of pansies!" Arthur huffed, taking a shot of hard liqour.

"Th-That's not fair, Arth-er-Gunsling...er. Th-That Cow Girl's already got eyes for that damn partner of yours! I-I can't do nothin' about that!" Lenny complained, drowning the misery of his words with a shot.

"Ye-Yeah! Y-You dunno what you're talkin' 'bout! Besides, I'm-I'm just workin' up to it! Gettin' Guild Girl to look at me more and more!" Spearman said, his cheeks red from drinking. "It-It'll happen! Just you watch!"

"Yeah, right! All she sees is a… a big ol' peacock!" Arthur waved his hand dramatically in dismissal.

"Y-You keep on callin' me that-but I don't-don't got no clue what a peacock is! But it pisses me off!" Spearman slurred out, eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"It-it is a big ol' bird that got some… some fancy feathers in the back that-that it uses for attractin' mates… I think…" Lenny answered, holding up his index finger.

"Oh, okay… sounds like a cool bird…" Spearman laughed before his face knit into a frown. "H-Hey! Yo-you callin' me a bird-you… you jerk!"

"I'm callin' you more than that, buddy!" Arthur huffed, pushing his shoulder with his good hand.

"Oh-you wanna go?! Don't-don't think I won't hit a cripple, Gunslinger!" Spearman growled, holding his hands up for a fight.

"I hope so! It'll make the fight… fair," Arthur put up his one good hand in a fist, the two squaring up on each other… in a very tipsy, tripping fashion.

"Guys-Guys, that ain't how we do things! We-We is here to celebrate!" Lenny got between them, wrapping his arms around their necks and bringing them close together. "C-Come on, now. We's here for a good time!"

Arthur and Spearman grumbled a bit before looking up at Lenny and nodding.

"You-you're right, Len-Len… Ranch. Ranch Hand… No more fightin'..." Arthur agreed, nodding his head.

"Y-Yeah, I'm-I'm sorry, Gunslinger. You're a good friend…" Spearman said, stretching an arm out and drunkenly patting his shoulder before leaning in. "Be-Besides… if-if Goblin Slayer gets with that-that Cow Girl… I'm totally set."

"What'd you say?! Why I oughta-!" Lenny said, obviously still in earshot considering he was still hanging onto them. He tackled Spearman, the two falling on the ground and wrestling around on the ground.

"Com-Come on, you idiots! Stop this nonsense!" Arthur said, trying to balance on a nearby stool. "We should… should just get another drink and call it even! Bartender!"

"Those three are really going at it, huh..?" Padfoot Waitress muttered to the side, standing close by with Guild Girl and Witch.

"This is… even worse than… usual," Witch said, her voice conveying no small amount of amusement.

Guild Girl could only sigh. "Y-Yeah… hopefully, they won't get any worse than this…"

* * *

"C-Come on, man! J-Just toss it already! I'm-am… ready!" Lenny said, balancing a bottle off the top of his head.

"Sh-Shush! I'm focusin~!" Spearman hissed out, his voice just as slurred as he balanced his spear over his shoulder.

"I'm tellin' you boys-I'm tellin' you! There's no way-no way that this is a… good… a good uh… somethin'-I lost the word…" Arthur trailed off, barely balancing himself in a stool next to Spearman.

"H-He's the one that-that called me gutless, Arthur! H-How am I-s-supposed to take that lyin' down?!" Lenny argued, turning to Arthur with a drunken glare. Only for the bottle to fall off his head and shatter on the ground. "Oops~!"

"Ah! I was-was almost ready! Why'd you move?!" Spearman groaned like a child, sticking his bottom lip out.

"Lenny~! What-What'd I say about… say about usin' our names?! You-you'll confuse people!" Arthur snapped, slapping the table next to him angrily.

"Wh-What? Whose names? What names?" Spearman asked, looking back and forth between them.

"That-that's a secret Spearman! You must-mustn't never tell nobody!" Lenny said, stumbling toward the silver ranked and grabbing his shoulders, though it looked like he was using him to keep from falling on the ground. "B-But I trust you man, you's a good-good man. If-If Arthur likes you, I likes you."

"D-Do you really mean that? B-Because, man… T-That… that means so much, man…" Spearman whined out, gripping Lenny's shoulder back. "I-I like to push o-other guys away because… s-so many of 'em think they're so cool or better…"

"Oh, man, I getchu. I getchu…"

"Are you two maids done kissin'?!" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes at them in a somewhat jealous manner. "Come on! Let's get more drinks!"

"Yes sir!" They both answered, the three stumbling toward the bar.

* * *

"Ju-Just like that, partner! That-That is perfect!" Arthur said, giving two drunken thumbs up to a bard he grabbed off the street. The bard seemed amused, strumming his mandolin with a smile as Arthur started to wave his arms back and forth like a drunken composer. "A-Alright! Y-Yennl, you ready?!"

"You betchu I am!" Lenny gave a drunken nod, the two wrapping arms around each other's shoulders while Spearman sat close by, his eyes shining.

"C-Come on, sing already! I-I'm ready!" Spearman cheered, waving his arms around him in excitement.

"A-Alright, alright. Thi-This one goes out to… to the ladies," Lenny said, smacking his lips, looking at Arthur. "One… two… thre-three…"

" _O Mollie, O Mollie, it's for your sake alone~,"_

" _That I leave my old parents, my house and my home;"_

" _My love for you, it has caused me to roam;"_

" _I'm a rabble rouser and Dixie's my home."_

Spearman wooted loudly, clapping his hands together obnoxiously as he failed to go to the beat of the song. Other bar patrons as well as the staff started to laugh and listen in, even Padfoot Waitress and Witch as they watched them sing on. Though some did note that Arthur did mutter certain lines while Lenny remembered them instead.

" _Jack o' diamonds, Jack o'diamonds, I know you of old;"_

" _You robbed my poor pockets of silver and gold;"_

" _O Whiskey, you villain; You've been my downfall;"_

" _You've kicked me, you've cuffed me;"_

" _And caused me to brawl."_

" _My foot's in a stirrup, my bridle's in my hand;"_

" _I'm leavin' sweet Mollie, the fairest in the land."_

" _Her parents don't like me, they say I'm too poor;"_

" _They say I'm unworthy to enter her door."_

Arthur and Lenny broke out in laughter, balancing each other on their feet as they held onto one another. The rest of the bar laughed and clapped, praising their performance.

"Th-That was amazin'! You-You guys could be bards yourselves!" Spearman laughed, spastically clapping his hands. "One more, one more!"

"A-Another, the man says. What say you, good sir?" Lenny said, looking at his partner with a drunken brow raised.

"I say we-we give the man what he wants! A-And I got the per-perfect song for it!" Arthur declared, taking a quick drink from a bottle he snatched from a table nearby.

"O-Oh, yeah? L-Lay it on me, partner!" Lenny said, grinning. Arthur slowly leaned in, cupping his hand to Lenny's ear as he whispered to him. Lenny suddenly inhaled, pulling his head back from Arthur (but not letting go of him). "A-Arthslinger! Th-There be women in our presence! That-That is not a-a gentlemen's song!"

"Ah, they won't know what it means! We should be fine~!" Arthur waved him off.

Lenny put a stumbling finger to his chin in thought. "I needta… think on it…" Lenny took a quick swig of beer and burped before smiling. "Alright~, you win. Bu-But if the wo-women folk figure it out, it-it's all on you."

"Deal!" Arthur gave a dramatic nod before looking back at the bard. "Hey, buddy! Play us s-somethin' fun!"

"Yes, sir!" The bard began to strum a catchy tune. It wasn't exacttly what they had in mind, but it was good enough. "Now one… two… three!"

" _When I was just, a lad you know,"_

" _I met a gal from ol' Bordeaux,"_

" _She had blonde hair n blue eyes too,"_

" _she let me ride on the ring dang do."_

A few heads turned in thought, the lyrics somewhat confusing them. Still, Spearman and a few other drunken men just laughed and clapped their hands together.

 _The ring dang do! now what is that?"_

" _It's soft and round like a pussy cat,"_

" _Got a hole in the middle, and it's split in two,"_

" _and that's what you call the ring dang do"_

" _She took me down, to her cellar,"_

" _Said that I was a mighty fine feller,"_

" _Fed me wine and whiskey too,"_

" _She let me ride on the ring dang do!"_

More drunken men joined in, the song easy to catch up with even for the many that had no idea what the song was. Padfoot Waitress found herself laughing as she tilted her head side to side with the song.

" _The ring dang do! now what is that?"_

" _It's soft and round like a pussy cat,"_

" _Got a hole in the middle, and it's split in two,"_

" _and that's what you call the ring dang do."_

"That's a pretty fun song," Padfoot Waitress giggled as she walked by Witch.

"It is… but do you… understand what… the song is about..?" Witch asked, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Hm? No, not at all. What is it?" Witch wagged her finger slowly for her to lean forward, cupping her hand into Padfoot Waitress's furry ear as she whispered the answer to her. In a matter of seconds, the waitress's face went from peach to red. "Eh?"

"Her father come in and angrily said~," Arthur continued, he and Lenny swaying back and forth. "Now you have lost your maiden-"

 **"Gunslinger!"**

All singing and music ceased, the three looking back to see Padfoot Waitress stomping her way toward them between the tables.

"I can't believe you'd sing a song like-like that!"

"Sh-She knows, Arthur! She knows!" Lenny whispered drunkenly to him.

"Shi~t, run for the hills, boys!" Arthur exclaimed, unlooping his arm from Lenny and tripping forward, the two stumbling on several chairs and tables. Spearman started to run with them for whatever reason, making sure to grab his spear first before following close behind.

"Hey! Get back here!"

"You'll never take me ALIVE~!"

* * *

The first thing Arthur noticed the moment he woke was the blistering headache. He groaned into his hand, his body feeling like all water had been drained from it. "And I thought… breathin' in smoke felt like shit…"

"I-I dunnno… it's not the worst I've felt after drinkin' with you… so that's a plus." He heard Lenny's voice. Arthur slowly sat up, taking in his surroundings. Much to his surprise, they were actually in his room at the guild. Arthur lay in his bed while Lenny sat up against the wall. Close next to him was Spearman, though he was still completely out, his face bunched up against the wall.

"Yeah… Yeah, that is somethin'..." Arthur laughed, his voice a bit hoarse. He slowly sat up in his bed, groaning as he pressed a hand into his forehead. "Still don't help the damn migraine…"

"Yeah… that part still sucks…" Lenny laughed, his eyes closed as he massaged his temples. "You uh… got any water?"

"No… Not in here… I'll go and… get some," Arthur slowly stumbled up to his feet, fighting through the pain as he rubbed the back of his head to try and ease the pain. He limped past his drinking partners, leaving the room and heading down the hall. As he got to the steps, he could see the unmistakable helmet of Goblin Slayer by the front desk.

"Ah, there he is… you missed… one helluva night…" Arthur laughed quietly, slowly stepping down the steps. His eyes had been focused on the steps to help watch where he was going, so he only just noticed that he wasn't alone as he got halfway down. With a quirk of his brow, he suddenly realized that a familiar young blonde girl stood close by him.

"Mr. Gunslinger…" Priestess said, her eyes wide and somewhat trembling.

"H-Hey, Mr. Gunslinger…" Guild Girl mumbled, her eyes worried as she watched him slowly approach.

"Oh hey, it's you. Good to see you back, lil' lady," Arthur greeted, leaning on the front desk as he made his way over to them. "So, you and your pals back for a quest?"

Arthur rubbed his eyes as he waited for an answer. But all he got was silence. He slowly pulled his hand away, looking at Priestess in wonder. "What? What's wrong?" His eyes went to Guild Girl, but the clerk only lowered her head in answer. Arthur's eyes widened, the tiredness in them suddenly evaporating. "What happened?"

He looked at Goblin Slayer for answers. But even he was quiet. Something that was strange to Arthur, as he normally answered when asked, at least. Priestess began to sniffle, her eyes snapped shut as she hugged her golden staff close.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Gunslinger… they… they wouldn't listen. I-I went along to try and make sure they would be okay, but…"

Arthur's jaw slacked, immediately processing her words.

"No… they…"

Goblin Slayer turned to him and finally gave a clear answer:

"They went into a goblin cave."

 **To be continued…**

 **Well, that was a big chapter. Probably the biggest one I've written for this story yet. I wanted to make sure I covered several bases in the process of writing this one out. I think I accomplished my goal.**

 **One thing I've been wrestling with is how I was going to handle the obvious elephant in the room: Priestess's introduction. It's a huge point of contention in the series and, while I would have liked to have Arthur save her from such a fate, it was an important turning point in her life that guided her to the path that she takes. Now that's not to say things turned out COMPLETELY the same, but you guys will have to wait and see how exactly they changed next chapter.**

 **Aside from the depressing end, I do hope you guys enjoyed the fun, drunk bar scene of the chapter. I've always planned to have a drunken bar scene with Arthur and Lenny after determining that he was going to be in the story. I figured I might as well do it now while the coals are hot XD**

 **As I said before, Lenny's role in the story won't be as 'another member of the party'. His role will be more indirect, but nonetheless important for certain things to come. But that doesn't mean we can't have fun with him now that he's here lol**

 **Anyways, that's it for this chapter. I do hope you all enjoyed it, please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I own neither Red Dead Redemption 2 or Goblin Slayer**

Chapter 6

Arthur pulled the worn bandage off of his arm, flexing his fingers open and closed. The broken bones had healed thanks to some magic from the local church. Arthur would have liked a faster recovery to start work, but couldn't complain too much considering he would have been out for months had he been back in his own world. But he couldn't help being anxious for work again.

Especially since he'd been in his own mood for killing goblins.

 _Should be plenty o' quests for goblins still posted up._

Standing from his bed, Arthur rolled his shoulders and neck, grabbing his leather stitched hat and placing it on top of his head. He walked out into the lobby, straightening his jacket collar before heading down the stairs. A small crowd of adventurers were still gathered around the front desk, Guild Girl still busily signing off on the requests being handed in. Arthur gave a small chuckle, stepping down the stairs and heading for the board.

 _Goblins, goblins, goblins… there._ Arthur pulled a poster down from the board, looking at the details written on it. _Hm… looks like a horde preppin' for a raid. Gonna be a lot of 'em. Good._ Arthur found it somewhat humorous that he was now familiar enough with goblin signs to identify exactly what was coming.

"Ah, Gunslinger! You're all healed!" He heard Guild Girl's voice, craning his neck to look at her from the side and giving a smile.

"Indeed I am. Not soon enough, if you ask me, though," Arthur chuckled, walking over to the front desk now that it was somewhat cleared of other adventurers. "Goblin Slayer come in yet?"

"No, not yet. I'm sure he'll be here soon."

"Good. I got a job I'm sure he'll be happy to take with me." Arthur said, placing on the table. "Need to get a good stretch in after sittin' on my ass for so long. I think killin' goblins is a good way to start."

"You've only been out a couple of weeks, Gunslinger! Most would have considered that a nice little vacation," Guild Girl laughed, shaking her head. "But we're happy to have you back. I'm sure the three of you will handle it without problem."

"Three?"

The guild doors swung open, the two looking up to see Goblin Slayer walk in. The armored adventurer's head trailed up, looking directly at Arthur and giving him a short nod in greeting.

"Just in time. Thought you were gonna make me wait all mornin'," Arthur chuckled, turning around and leaning back against the front desk. "Guess who's ready to get back into the hunt?"

"You?" Goblin Slayer asked as he walked over.

"No, Guild Girl over here-yes, me!" Arthur shook his head with a short laughed, holding up his left arm. "All healed up. Time to get back into things and kill some little green bastards. Even got the perfect quest for to start with."

He handed Goblin Slayer the poster, his partner taking it and inspecting the contents. "A goblin horde is getting ready to attack a village."

"I know. Which means plenty to kill," Arthur chuckled, pulling out his cattleman revolver and looking at it in his hand. "And I'm up for killin' quite a few."

"I see. Let's take it. Do you need to prepare?"

"Nope. Got everything ready yesterday, just in case. Had to do somethin' while I was playin' cripple," Arthur said, slapping his shoulder pad. "We can take off now, if you got all you need."

"I do. But first, here," Goblin Slayer unslung the shotgun from his shoulder, holding it out to Arthur. "It served me well. Even before reloading, it made for a good emergency club."

"Yeah, these things are certainly heavy enough," Arthur smirked, taking the gun and looking it over. There was a faded stain of blood on the buttstock, but it was in good condition aside from that. "Could use a little… better cleanin', but it looks in good shape."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Ain't nothin' a little oil won't clean up. I think…" Arthur shrugged, slinging the gun over his shoulder. "Let's get a move on."

"Not yet. We have to wait first." Goblin Slayer shook his head, causing Arthur to raise a brow.

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"A-Ah, Mister Goblin Slayer!"

Arthur winced subconsciously, his eyes trailing to the side to see none other than Priestess approaching them. The timid girl smiled at the armored man before looking at Arthur, her eyes widening a bit before quickly bowing her head. "M-Mister Gunslinger! It's good to see you again. Are you fully healed now?"

"... Sure." Arthur answered slowly, watching the young girl with some caution. "It's uh… good to see you, but we were-"

"Okay, we can go now."

Arthur looked up at his partner in question. Opening his mouth to speak.

"Oh, are we going on a quest?"

Arthur's head snapped to Priestess, her eyes shining up at him and Goblin Slayer curiously.

"You can't be serious? You tellin' me _she's_ comin' too?!" Arthur asked, pointing a finger at a gently surprised Priestess.

"Yes. If she still wants to go." Was Goblin Slayer's short answer.

Arthur stared at him, waiting for an explanation. Of course, he didn't get one. "Well, why?!"

"W-Well, they have been partnering for the past week, Gunslinger…" Guild Girl spoke up awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. "I um… thought you knew."

"I ain't necessarily seen much of him. Now I know why," Arthur said, his head snapping back to Priestess. "Look, little lady, I uh… get what you're doin', but I think it's about time you went back to your monastery or whatever your religion calls it."

"W-What?" Priestess squeaked out in surprise. "B-But I'm an adventurer now! I can't do that!"

"Look, we're goin' on a _real_ goblin hunt. That little cave that you and your friends…" Arthur saw her expression immediately fall, her hands gripping her staff tightly. Guilt immediately weighed in his gut, causing him to sigh. "Sorry… I shouldn'ta said that. But if you don't wanna get into that kinda trouble again, it's best if you stay outta these kinda jobs."

Priestess was quiet for a moment before looking back up, her expression shaky but her brow knitting seriously. "N-No. I can't. I… I want to learn how to become a better adventurer and Mister Goblin Slayer has been teaching me. So please, let me join you Mister Gunslinger!"

Arthur stared down at her in surprise. _Girl's got more spirit than I figured._ Despite her determination, Arthur still felt reluctant, scratching his chin hairs in frustration before looking at Goblin Slayer. "And you're okay with this?"

"Yeah. She's been helpful." he said, looking at Priestess. "And if she wants to learn how to survive goblins, it's a good thing."

Arthur scoffed, looking between the two as he felt some frustration bubble up in his stomach before finally letting out a sigh. "Fine. But you listen to what we say and do what we say, got it?" He said, turning to Priestess and pointing a finger at her face.

"Y-Yes! I-I'll do my best to help out!"

"If you say so…" Arthur mumbled, turning back to Guild Girl and setting the poster on the table. "We'll take this one, I guess."

"Go and grab your things." Goblin Slayer said, looking at Priestess.

"R-Right!" Priestess nodded before running off to the tavern side of the guild.

"I hope you're right about this," Arthur spoke, his focus still on Guild Girl as she filled out the appropriate forms. "Don't wanna see that kid get turned into a chew toy."

"Her miracles are useful for distracting goblins." Goblin Slayer said casually, eliciting a sigh from Arthur.

"I guess I'll see about that… What do you think?" Arthur asked, looking up at Guild Girl.

"Well… it's better than having her travel with inexperienced adventurers, don't you think?" Guild Girl said, offering a hopeful smile. "Her rank might not go up as quickly because of it, but this will at least help her survivability in the future!"

"I hope you're right…" Arthur sighed, taking the parchment before turning around and walking out with Goblin Slayer.

* * *

"What kinda jobs have you been takin' together?" Arthur asked, the three trekking through the forest slowly. The goblin nest was hidden in a cave, as was the usual hiding spot for them. Arthur knew the number of goblins were going to be close to fifty, at least. A raid on the village meant a good number of them as well as several hobgoblins.

"Well… we attacked a nest just yesterday. There was a little over twenty in that one since they hadn't spawned any goblin children." Priestess explained.

"I see. You two attack a horde just before a raid yet?" Arthur asked, this time looking at Goblin Slayer.

"No. This will be her first." Goblin Slayer confirmed.

"Alright. Then you need to be even more careful, understand me?" Arthur said, looking again at Priestess. "There ain't just gonna be a few of these little bastards. It'll be twice as many if not more. You see any that you think we haven't noticed, call 'em out. Once we're in the heat o' things, stayin' quiet can just get people killed."

"O-Okay, I'll do my best!" Priestess quickly nodded, looking determined. Arthur spared her a small look again before letting out a quiet breath.

 _She's just a goddamn kid. She shouldn't be here._ _ **They**_ _shouldn'ta been there._

"We're getting close."

Arthur quickly bat aside the stray thought. The three focused forward, the mouth of a cave within sight. The three quickly hid in the trees, peering ahead to see what lookouts there were.

"Two at the mouth of the cave." Goblin Slayer announced.

"Yeah… this rock ain't too big neither, so we might have a couple on top lookin' out." Arthur pointed out. "We'll need to get a better look and make sure it's only them watchin'." Arthur turned around, looking at Priestess. "Keep close and stay quiet. Last thing we need is to let them know we're here before we're ready."

"O-Of course!" Priestess quickly nodded. Arthur stared at her for a short moment before letting out a breath, the three creeping closer and moving stealthily through the brush. Arthur unslung his bow from his shoulder, keeping it ready in case they needed to shoot the guards by the cave mouth. Getting a clearer view, they were able to see two other goblin guards standing over the cave mouth, bows and arrows in their hands.

"Looks like we gotta be careful. If we take too long shootin' 'em down, one might alert the rest." Arthur said, scratching the hairs on his chin.

"Priestess can use her Holy Light miracle to blind them." Goblin Slayer said, drawing Arthur's attention to the girl.

"Y-Yes! Mister Goblin Slayer often uses it when attacking multiple goblins at once." Priestess explained.

"I see. Refresh my memory, but how many times can you use your miracles?"

"Three times. I can use the miracles Holy Light, Minor Heal and Protection, which creates a barrier of light." Priestess explained.

"Sounds useful enough, at least…" Arthur mumbled, looking up at the goblins again. "Alright… we'll save the light show for the horde. We'll take the two on top out first. The guards by the cave won't notice quick enough before they're dead. Take the one on the top left, I'll take the one to the far right. Be quick to draw up another arrow so we can take out the other two just as quick."

Goblin Slayer nodded, drawing his own bow and arrow. Arthur left the two to move through the brush closer to the right side. When he got to a good enough spot, he sent a glance back at Goblin Slayer. His partner gave a quick nod, drawing his arrow back and taking aim. Arthur did the same, both loosing an arrow. The guards up top were dead on hit, both suffering arrows to the head. While Goblin Slayer's target fell back, Arthur's stumbled a bit before falling forward, landing with a thud in front of the two guards by the door.

But Arthur already had an arrow ready, watching as the goblins began to panic and scatch at their waists for their horns. Before it could even be drawn, arrows pierced through their chests,knocking them back into the wall before they fell limp.

Arthur came out of cover, waving at Goblin Slayer and Priestess. The two quickly made their way over to him as he put his bow away. "Alright, we're off to a good start. Now, we can try and draw 'em out and toss a few fire bottles on 'em, or we can go in while we still got surprise on our side."

"Fire bottles?" Priestess repeated in question.

"He hasn't used one yet? Well, guess this is the perfect time to show you. Come on," Arthur said, moving forward and grabbing the goblin bodies at the mouth. "Pile the other ones up."

"Okay." Goblin Slayer did as bid, while Priestess hesitated a moment. Still, not wanting to do nothing, Priestess ran over to the other body and brought the other one over. Her face wrinkled in disgust as she handled it, but nevertheless toughed it out as she brought it over to the others.

"Alright, let's climb up where those little bastards were perched. Once we're up, I'll blow the horn and bring more of 'em out." Arthur said, pulling one of their shoddy horns from the corpse's belt.

"You want to bring more to us?" Priestess blinked in surprise.

"That's right. You'll see why soon enough. Hope you got the stomach for it, though." Arthur said, turning around to the rockface and gripping at the wall. He and Goblin Slayer climbed up, with Priestess hopping on Goblin Slayer's back to carry her up. Once they reached the top, Arthur pulled out the horn, looking at his companions. "You ready?"

"Yes."

"Y-Yes!"

Arthur accepted their answers before blowing the ill made horn loudly. Once it was done, he tossed it aside, instead taking a fire bottle out of his satchel. He looked at Priestess, holding it out to her. "Take it. You're gonna need to be ready to use one of these soon enough."

"F-For what?" She asked, taking it trepidly.

"You'll see soon enough. Just wait for us to toss ours, then toss yours right into the crowd. Got it?" Arthur said, pulling another bottle out.

"It's effective." Goblin Slayer assured her, pulling one out of his own stash.

"O… Okay."

Arthur looked at Priestess for a moment, seeing her hesitation. It took him some time to realize that she was both still a kid as well as a gentle girl. Despite whatever happened in that cave with her and her friends, she wasn't excited by the idea of killing goblins. Arthur probably wouldn't be wrong to think that he was more excited.

With a sigh, Arthur snatched the bottle away. "Nevermind. Just leave-"

"N-No!" Arthur snapped his head up to her, eyebrow raised. "If… if this really works, than I want to help out with it."

Arthur stared at her for a moment, seeing the determination in her eyes. He had to admit, this girl was surprising him bit by bit. "If you say so… just don't blame me if you get squeamish." He said, handing her the bottle again. She took it gingerly, gripping it in her hand tightly. "Make sure you toss it right in the middle of 'em. We're tryin' to kill as many as possible in one swoop."

"Okay!"

The three soon heard the approaching patter of multiple feet under them, quickly getting ready for their targets. They watched dozens pour out of the cave, though Arthur noted that no hobgoblins had come out. _They're lettin' the fodder die first, then. Don't matter too much, I suppose._

Arthur shot a look at both Priestess and Goblin Slayer, giving a quick nod before chucking his bottle directly into the goblin crowd. Fire and glass burst across the horde, shrill shrieks of horror rang through the air. Arthur spared a glance at Priestess, her jaw slack as she stared in awe and shock.

"Clean 'em up! Clear 'em out!" Arthur called out to Goblin Slayer, the armored adventurer nodding as he slid down the rock face with his short sword and arm shield ready. Arthur pulled his revolvers out, cocking the hammers back. He looked at Priestess. "Get your mind back in the game! Keep an eye out and let us know if anymore come outta the cave."

"O-Oh, okay!" Priestess agreed, nodding her head quickly. Arthur gave her a short nod before focusing forward, looking for any goblins not caught in the blaze. Goblin Slayer was managing the crowd well, already having cut down three that tried to run his way. Arthur raised his revolver, eyes narrowed. "Better cover your ears, girl!"

Priestess opened her mouth to ask, but was too late and could only wince after Arthur fired off a shot. He put a hole in a goblin's stomach, watching it fall to the ground. Another made to get to the treeline, but Arthur soon put a stop to that, raising his gun and firing off another shot. This one went through its head, sending it rolling across the ground.

"Your ears ringin'?" Arthur laughed, sparing a look at Priestess.

"What?!" She asked, hands clasped tightly over her ears.

"Nevermind," Arthur said, quickly firing off three more successive shots into several stranglers. As the fire died down, the shrieks finally ceased, and all the goblins who had come out were dead. Arthur touched her shoulder, signaling for Priestess that it was okay to move her hands. "It's done. This group is, at least."

"Okay…" Priestess mumbled, looking over the ground covered in charred and slain goblins. "I've… never seen him use fire bottles before…"

They're mostly good for big ol' crowds of 'em. Sounds like you two've only been dealin' with a couple small hordes before this." Arthur said, opening the chamber to his revolver and letting it reload.

"Don't you… think using fire is a bit cruel?" Arthur looked up at her, raising a brow. Priestess's expression was conflicted, her eyes lingering on the burnt bodies.

"After seein' what those little bastards do to people?" Arthur began, his expression becoming stony. "No. They deserve whatever they get."

"I… I know, but-"

"Come on. We still got quite a few to kill inside." Arthur cut her off, walking to the edge of the cave top.

"Okay…" She mumbled, walking over to Arthur and getting help in sliding down the rockface to join Goblin Slayer.

"How many we get?" Arthur asked as he walked over to his partner.

"Twenty four."

"We still got a quite a few in the cave then. Less than half, at least." Arthur hummed, stuffing his revolver away and pulling out his custom hatchet. He looked up at the cave mouth, seeing that it was wider than most of the holes that they were used to diving into. "Stay between us, Priestess. I'll take up the rear in case we gotta deal with another cave."

Priestess nodded, the three moving in single file with Goblin Slayer at the front and a torch in his hand.

"The walls are wide apart. Keep an eye out for goblins hidden behind rocks and in the shadows." Goblin Slayer advised this time.

"R-Right." Priestess nodded, her eyes darting back and forth as they moved forward.

"I don't like this. Feel kinda exposed in an open path like this…" Arthur muttered, his free hand feeling for one of his revolvers.

"We are in a bad position," Goblin Slayer agreed, his helmet tilting side to side as he remained aware of the open proximity. "But if we hug one wall, we may lose sight of the other side and get ambushed."

"Right… well, ain't nothin' to be done. Gotta watch out for archers in here. Our equipment might be able to stop 'em but what about-" Arthur's voice fell when he heard a rock kick in the darkness. Goblin slayer moved quick, reaching for a knife on his shoulder strap and throwing it forward. A death rattle filled the darkness, alerting them. Arthur grabbed a fire bottle and lobbed it forward. It splashed across the ground, illuminating the cave several meters across. Soon revealing there to be seven goblins standing there, recoiling from the fire while one had a knife lodged in its gut, on the ground dying.

"We got company!" Arthur announced, pushing Priestess behind him before producing his own throwing knives. Goblin Slayer didn't hesitate, pushing through the fire with his armor and hacking a goblin to pieces. Arthur tossed a dagger, piercing the skull of the goblin just behind the one his partner had killed.

"T-To our left!"

Arthur spun around, seeing several goblins rushing at them. A small, almost unperceivable crawl hole at the bottom of the left rock quickly pulled the hatchet from his waist and kicked the closest goblin into the others. Arthur proceeded to chop one from the shoulder and down. One attempted to stab him in the side, but Arthur didn't bother stopping it. It's shoddy dagger couldn't pierce through his chainmail, let alone his jacket of defense. It was mildly irritating, but with adrenaline pumping through Arthur, it was barely noticeable. Arthur simply grabbed its neck with one hand, choking it while he used his off hand to slit the third goblin's throat with his axe. He threw it down on the ground and ended its life with a vicious stomp, crushing its neck with ease.

"G-Go away!" Arthur's head snapped back, soon seeing Priestess flailing her staff around to keep one stray goblin back, the little beast attempting to get close and run her through with a spear. Arthur tucked his axe away and snatched the goblin's head up in his hand. Picking the goblin up, Arthur dragged the goblin forward and viciously slammed its head into the rock wall, again and again. Its skull cracked on the first slam, and it shattered on the second. The third and forth made blood, bone and brain fluid spatter against the wall. The fifth slam was for good measure and a bit of self satisfaction. The sixth-

"M-Mister Gunslinger!"

Arthur froze just before he could slam the goblin again. His head swiveled to Priestess, the girl watching him with hesitant eyes. But despite her reluctance, she spoke up.

"I-It's dead already. You don't need to go that far."

Arthur felt a mixture of annoyance and guilt build up, looking down at the bloodied carcass hanging in his hand. The thing was barely discernible, even for a goblin. He took several quick breaths, trying to find his mind again. He dropped the body, flicking what blood had splattered onto his hands off before walking up to Priestess.

"That damn staff really all you got?!" He snapped, causing the girl to recoil in surprise. "If you lose that thing, you're good as dead!"

"B-But I don't…" Priestess mumbled, her head lowering as she struggled to answer. Arthur let out a heated breath, shaking his head as he fished into his satchel.

"Here." He said, holding out one of his throwing knives. "Put it on your waist or somethin'. Keep it close."

"B-But I don't know how to use this…"

"Easy. You lose that staff, you put the pointy end in the goblin. All you need to know. They're weak as kids and, while crafty, will definitely underestimate a kid like you." Arthur said before looking up at Goblin Slayer. The armored man was silent, the goblins he had attacked all dead and cut to pieces. "I'm surprised you didn't give her one."

"She preferred her staff," he answered with shrug.

"Well, we-"

Arthur was silenced when the low rumble of multiple growls and snarling began to fill their ears. The heavy patter of feet on earth could be heard, and further down the cave, the three could make out dark figures in the distance.

"They're coming." Goblin Slayer said, tightening his grip on the buckler and sword in his hands.

"Shit. Guess they got tired o' waitin', then. They do got an advantage in this wide of a cave." Arthur huffed, stowing his axe away. He pulled out both revolvers, cocking the hammers back. "Get back, girl. You're only…"

" _Hear me, oh merciful Earth Mother, please protect us the weak…"_

 _What is she doing..?_

" _... With your divine light and the power of nature!_ _ **Protection!**_ "

Arthur watched as Priestess's staff illuminated the cave with a brilliant white light. He then looked forward, watching a wall of light erected across the cave in front of them. He could now see the goblins approaching, several hobgoblins among them. He raised his guns again in urgency, but widened his eyes when he saw them smash into the wall, unable to get past it.

"I'll be damned… I heard about these miracles, but never seen 'em firsthand…" Arthur muttered, straightening out as he looked up at the struggling goblins trying to break through.

"While it… holds them back. You both should be able to attack through it…" Priestess explained, showing some strain as she tried to keep focused.

"I see. So this is your new miracle." Goblin Slayer informed him, the armored man knocking his bow before his helmet tilted toward Arthur. "I'm sure you can use it well."

"P-Please hurry! I can't hold it up for too long!" Priestess informed him, the blonde pursing her lips as she kept her staff raised.

Arthur spared a look back at her and smirked. "Well, I'm startin' to see just how nice it is to have you around, little lady. Thanks," Arthur raised his revolvers, eyes narrowing as he counted the goblins out. "I'll take it from here."

It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Or even easier, if Arthur was honest. The goblins were still attempting to push through, not once moving in any sort of way except forward. In twelve successive shots, Arthur killed the entire group without missing a beat. Each one had a hole in their head within seconds. The wall of light had faltered for a moment when Priestess flinched at the loud bang of his guns, but held strong despite the deafening explosions. Thankfully, Arthur had made it quick, and the young girl was relieved when the firing stopped. Her ears were ringing to be sure, but it was nothing a healing potion wouldn't help. She hoped.

"Well, that was certainly somethin'." Arthur chuckled, returning the guns to their holsters. "Good job, little lady."

"What?!" Priestess asked loudly, causing Arthur to raise a brow.

Arthur opened his mouth before scratching his chin hairs awkwardly. He leaned in closer so that she could hear him. "I was sayin' good job! And uh… sorry about the noise!"

"Oh, thank you!" She exclaimed, putting a hand over her ears. "S-Sorry if I'm loud! My ears are ringing…"

"Those guns are very loud in this cave." Goblin Slayer pointed out.

"Yeah, I got that much." Arthur dryly chuckled, fishing into his pocket and producing a healing potion. "Here. Might help your ears a bit, I think."

"Thank you!"

Arthur smirked, somewhat guilty but also somewhat amused by the girl's plight. He walked over to Goblin Slayer, putting a hand on his hip holster. "That was a good number of 'em. How many you think are left?"

"Eleven at most. Anymore would have come out with this group to assault us." Goblin Slayer said, looking down at the corpses.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinkin'. Should be a shaman in there too. Champion woulda come out by now, as well." Arthur spat on one of the goblin corpses. No better thing to spit on, in his opinion. "Let's go and weed 'em out then, huh?"

"Yeah." Goblin Slayer looked back at Priestess. "Are you okay now?"

"Y-Yes, a bit better… though my hearing is still a bit off," Priestess admitted, rubbing the side of her head.

"You'll get used to it. If you really wanna keep goin' with us, that is," Arthur chuckled, pulling out his schofield revolver. "Well, no time like the present. Let's go."

"Priestess. Before the next room, as we're about to enter, use Holy Light to blind the goblins."

"Like last time? O-Okay!" She nodded in acceptance.

"She can really make a light that bright?" Arthur asked in surprise.

"Yes. You should use your hat to keep from getting your back to her."

"If you say so," Arthur gave a brisk nod. "Should be quick. You focus on the grunts, I'll plug the shaman bastard full o' holes."

"Alright." The three moved forward, heading deeper into the cave. As they went deeper in, the path began to narrow. Goblin Slayer held an arm up, the three now approaching another room. He spared his party members each a look, earning nods of understanding.

" _Hear me, oh merciful Earth Mother, bless us and protect us with_ _ **Holy Light!"**_

Arthur stepped ahead of her, eyes lighting up as her staff illuminated the cave ahead. Everything in the next room became easily perceivable, and the goblins were blinded by Priestess's power. Goblin Slayer didn't waste a second, immediately rushing in and hacking the first goblin in his way in two.

Arthur quickly followed, raising his gun and finding the shaman easily enough, the magic casting goblin shielding its vision the same as the others. A head shot wasn't clear because of its arms, but Arthur was fine with that. He simply aimed at its chest, his revolver spewing fire and metal forth and putting a golf ball sized right through it. He quickly followed it by turning to the rest of the cave, now fanning the hammer of his gun as he plugged several more goblins with bullets.

Goblin Slayer was soon done on his part as well, now stabbing through a goblin's gut and lifting it into the air. He watched the monster shriek and cry for a moment before it finally fell limp, tossing the body aside like a ragdoll. He moved onto his last target, instead swing his arm shield forward and smashing it across the last goblin's skull, causing it to flop onto the ground. He quickly followed by raising his shield again and bringing it back down on its head, causing its face and skull to cave in on impact.

"Fifty seven."

Priestess let her Holy Light fade, the room now dimly lit by Goblin Slayer's torch. The three began to relax, Arthur holstering his gun.

"Who'd a' thought a bright light would be so damn useful, huh?" Arthur chuckled, looking back at Priestess with a smirk. "You did good, kid."

Priestess smiled at his approval, but her eyes trailed off to the side. They then widened in horror before she quickly rushed at Arthur. "Watch out!"

Arthur didn't have time to question her, the young girl barreling into him and knocking them both to the ground. Before he hit the ground, Arthur saw a bolt of lightning narrowly miss him and Priestess.

The goblin shaman was still alive, albeit barely, It hacked out a blob of blood from its mouth, its arm shaking as it held its staff up at them and its back leaned back against the stone wall. Goblin Slayer didn't give it another chance to cast a spell, pulling a knife from his belt and immediately launching it directly into the goblin's skull. The goblin's arm fell, body going limp.

"A-Are you okay?!" Priestess asked in panic, looking down at Arthur in worry.

"Me? You're askin' **me**?!" Arthur snapped, sitting up and pushing Priestess off of him. "What the hell were you thinkin'?!"

"Wh-What?"

"You damn fool! You almost got yourself killed!" Arthur exclaimed, glaring harshly down at Priestess as he stood up. "Don't ever pull a damn stunt like that again!"

"B-But I was…."

"My life ain't worth a damn! So don't you go riskin' yours for mine, got it?!" Arthur almost snarled, pointing a finger at Priestess. "You tell me if somethin' comes, but you better damn well not waste your life doin' it!"

"Enough." Goblin Slayer stepped in front of Priestess, shielding her from Arthur's rage. "She saved your life."

Arthur huffed for air, staring into the helm of his partner for a moment as his anger started to subside. He spared a glance again at Priestess, her expression crestfallen as her eyes cast to the ground. Arthur immediately felt his guilt return, looking to the side and letting out a heavy sigh.

"Whatever. Let's just get outta this damn cave already…" Arthur muttered, holstering his gun.

"I'm going to make sure nothing is left."

"Do what you gotta. I'll be outside." Arthur turned away from them, immediately heading back for the exit. Priestess's gaze slowly rose, watching his back with trepidation.

"Sorry." Goblin Slayer finally said, her gaze trailing over to him.

"Why… why was he so mad?" Priestess asked quietly, the grip on her staff tightening.

"He was worried." Goblin Slayer turned around, passing by Priestess to inspect the rest of the cave. Priestess pursed her lips, watching him move across the room before trailing her eyes back to the receding back of Arthur.

* * *

Arthur let out a long breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to relax. He pulled out a rolled up cigarette and popped it in his mouth, lighting it with the candle sitting on his table at the tavern. The mission had been a success, and the trio returned home that same day and gotten paid. Arthur hadn't spoken much since his outburst, quickly leaving the two and going to the bar and grabbing a drink. He didn't see them leave, keeping his focus on the bottom of his cup that night.

"Hey!"

Arthur raised his gaze up, seeing the friendly smile of Padfoot Waitress greeting him.

"Ah, mornin' to ya." Arthur greeted, pulling the cigarette from his mouth.

"Are you okay? You look a little beat up," Padfoot Waitress asked, her eyes showing a bit of concern. "I thought you would be happy now that you can start taking jobs again."

"Yeah, well, I guess I… I dunno…" Arthur sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I'm just not used to this new girl in my party."

"Oh, right. That girl, Priestess?" she asked, tilting her head curiously. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothin' _really_ , I guess. She's just…"

"Did she get in the way?"

"Well… nothin' like that."

"Hm. Are you sad it's not just you and Goblin Slayer now?"

Arthur barked out a small laugh. "You almost make it sound like he's my woman or somethin'."

"Some might say you two are an item with how much time you spend together," Padfoot Waitress stuck her tongue out, causing Arthur to laugh again.

"At this point I might as well be. But I'd like to see you tell that to all the other parties around here. They'll go nuts about how they ain't a thing." Arthur pointed out, this time eliciting a laugh from Padfoot Waitress.

"Yeah, you're right about that. But hey, it did the job, right? You look a little better," Padfoot pointed out, smiling. "How about the usual breakfast to fix you up?"

"That sounds delightful. Please," Arthur nodded, earning a thumbs up from the waitress before she skipped off to the kitchen. He watched her leave for a moment before returning to his cigarette, letting a cloud of smoke out.

"Mister Gunslinger?"

Arthur felt his shoulders tense, eyes trailing to the side to see Priestess standing close by.

"Hey." He greeted lowly, putting the cigarette out on his boot before looking up at her. "You need somethin'?"

"Well… J-Just waiting for Mister Goblin Slayer to come in. Is it alright if I…" Priestess trailed off, looking hesitant. Arthur sighed, scratching his chin hairs.

"Sure. Take a seat. We'll get you some breakfast too, if you want." Arthur said, motioning to the chair across from him. The blonde slowly sat in the chair, giving a forced smile. Arthur hated the awkwardness, but knew it was his fault.

 _It was about time I said it, anyway._

"Hey. About yesterday, I…" Arthur rubbed the back of his head, looking down at the table. "I'm sorry. I shouldnt'a snapped like that. Not after you just saved me."

"It's okay, Mister Gunslinger. I know you were only concerned," Priestess said, causing Arthur to look back up at her. Her smile was gentle and kind. "I thought about it last night, and… I realized why you felt that way. Do you… feel responsible for what happened to my previous party?"

Arthur's eyes trailed away from her again, biting the inside of his cheek.

"B-But Mister Gunslinger, what happened wasn't your fault!"

"Yeah, it was." Arthur quietly answered, holding the tip of his chin. "I pushed too hard. Forgot how easy it is to mess with a kid's pride like that. I shoulda known. I shoulda-"

"But it's because of you that… that only one of us was killed that day."

Arthur's eyes trailed back to Priestess, seeing her own eyes glisten as they looked on the edge of tears. "How you figure that?"

Priestess gave a small, sad smile before she fished into a bag at her side, producing a bottle. Arthur sat up more when he realized that it was the bottle that he gave her before, only empty.

"I know you haven't heard the details yet. Were you afraid to hear what happened?" Arthur gave a small nod of his head in shame.

"I see… I followed after them that day because I was afraid that you were right. I wanted to help and try to keep them alive if everything you said came to pass," Priestess explained, looking down at the bottle with a thankful smile. "Even though… Warrior was still acting restless, Fighter and Wizard were at least more on guard. But even so, we still got ambushed. After… after Warrior fell, Fighter took the lead to protect us. We were starting to get surrounded and then a… a hobgoblin appeared. It almost hurt Fighter but Wizard was able to kill it first. She got stabbed in the process, though. Fighter helped fight the remaining goblins off before we carried Wizard toward the entrance. After Minor Heal only repaired her wound and didn't wake her up, I gave her the antidote you gave me. Still, we were nearly caught again when we were trying to help her. Fighter and I were hit by some arrows. The goblins attacked us again, jumping on top of fighter first and… began ripping her clothes off…"

Arthur swallowed a lump in his throat. "Did she get..?"

"No. She didn't. Neither of us did. Because that's when Mister Goblin Slayer arrived," Priestess explained, giving a sad smile. Tears started to fall down her cheeks. "It was… it was so terrifying… but I think that… that if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have made it even that far."

Arthur rubbed a hand over his face. Conflicted feelings of relief and guilt still filled him. On one hand, he could see Priestess's point. Still, that boy died all the same. But Arthur could at least take the good with the bad. Because had he not said anything, they might have all died that day.

He finally let out a breath, giving a brisk nod. "So… what happened to the other girls?"

"When Wizard woke up, she said she wanted to go back home and think about how much she doesn't know. I'm sure she was scared the most…" Priestess explained, her hands fumbling with her staff. "Fighter went back with Mister Goblin Slayer to get Fighter's body and returned it to his village. She said she wanted to think about where to go from here and might come back someday… but I'm not sure."

"And you decided to stay. Figure out what you did wrong the first time and keep goin' from there," Arthur said, looking up at Priestess with a small smirk. "You're either one of the bravest or stupidest women I've ever met. Maybe both."

Priestess's head tilted low when she heard that.

"But hell, I guess it takes a certain amount o' stupid for anybody to be in this kinda job, right?" Priestess looked back up, her eyes shining when she heard the mirth in his voice. "Thanks… for tellin' me that. I… I think I needed to hear that."

Priestess gave a small, weeping laugh and wiped a tear from her eye. "And thank you for what you told us that day."

"Well, I'd say we're more than even on that one, now." Arthur pointed out, scratching the hairs on his chin. "You saved me yesterday. Which… erm… I'm sorry for snappin' at you for. And thank you."

Priestess gave a more warm hearted smile at that. "It's okay. I understand. I was just happy to help you how I could."

Arthur felt a weight lift from his shoulders, a gentle grin spreading across his lips as he and Priestess were able to finally clear the air. "I gotta admit… I mighta said it a bit yesterday, but you did more than help yesterday. You made the hunt pretty damn easy for us. Well, easier than it coulda been for me and Goblin Slayer. You did good, and I… I'd bee happy to have you stay in the party if that's what you really want."

"I do! I feel like, working with you both, I can learn so much about being an adventurer!" Priestess said, speaking with greater energy and confidence now.

"Heh, maybe you will. Still, don't let your guard down just 'cause there's three of us, now. Things are gonna only get harder with how much goblins have been actin' up lately." Arthur pointed out, leaning forward on the table. "And let me tell you somethin'; Goblin Slayer and I like to work a lot. Think you can keep up with that?"

"Y-Yes! I'll do my best!" Priestess nodded fervently, earning a small chuckle from Arthur.

"Good. Then I hope you're ready to work once Goblin Slayer gets in. Should be here soon enough," Arthur said, standing from his seat. "But 'til then, I got somethin' we can work on."

"Oh, what?" Priestess asked in interest, standing from her seat.

"We're gonna work on how to use that knife I gave you." Arthur pointed out, causing her to blink. "Though now that we got the time, we'll get you somethin' bigger."

"O-Oh, I'm still not sure about that…" Priestess mumbled, rubbing the back of her head.

"Look. There are just gonna be sometimes that you'll need somethin' in case you drop that staff. If you wanna keep yourself protected, this is how you do it. Goblin Slayer and I may not always be there to defend you. You think on that." Arthur pointed out, causing Priestess to bite her lip.

She took a moment as she looked down in thought. After some deliberation, she finally nodded. "Okay… if you'll help me learn how to use it, I would be thankful for the help!"

"Good. Now come on. Let's go practice outside. Don't wanna accidently cut someone up in here."

"Okay!"

* * *

 _ **I wasn't sure why I felt so responsible for that kid who died. Maybe it was because of what I did to the Downes boy. Kids shouldn't have to go through shit like that.**_

 _ **I am thankful for my talk with Priestess. The kid has a lot of guts for such a brittle looking thing. But I have come to appreciate her presence in our party. I hope that Goblin Slayer and I can actually give her the help she wants.**_

 _ **I WON'T let anything happen to that kid. Not while I'm still breathing.**_

 _ **It does feel kind of good to help a new kid find their feet, though. Maybe that's what some of these rookies really need. Maybe I can give a few others that help.**_

 _ **We'll see.**_

 **To becontinued…**

 **Ah, there we go. Finally, this chapter has been finished. Sorry for the small delay, I wasn't feeling all too well when writing this chapter out. Thankfully, I was able to finish the rest out.**

 **I was honestly struggling a bit with the fate of the rookie party, to be honest. I wanted the impression it left on Priestess to still be strong, but I also wanted what Arthur did to have more of an affect on its outcome without completely changing everything. In the end, I decided to take a more grounded approach. Even if Warrior makes the same mistakes because of his pride, I don't think that the others would after Arthur's warning. So I think that this was ultimately the best approach I could take and feel comfortable with. I hope that it will satisfy most of you if not all.**

 **It was nice to get Priestess and Arthur more acquainted now. Their relationship will evolve as the story goes on. While Priestess views Goblin Slayer in a more… intimate light I suppose, she and Arthur will share a sort of mentor/sibling relationship I think. Sort of how he was with Tilly in RDR2.**

 **Lastly, I'll be taking a month break from writing my monthly updated stories, so sorry that the wait for this one will probably be among the longest on my list. We'll get back on track soon enough. I just need to recharge my batteries a bit.**

 **Anyways, that's it for this chapter! I do hope you all enjoyed, please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own neither Red Dead Redemption 2 or Goblin Slayer**

Chapter 7

Four young women stood in front of an old Elven fortress. Four young adventurers of the steel rank. Not entirely inexperienced, but still growing as a team. And today, they were going to attempt to take a more difficult task than they were used to. Tackling a host of goblins squatting in the abandoned tree fortress, having kidnapped some villagers and doing gods know what to them. The girls were young, but not completely inexperienced. They knew the dangers that lie ahead and what sort of fate they might meet should things go wrong.

"Alright. We'll go in during the day. We'll kill the guards and keep an eye out for traps. We'll rescue the girls they took from the village and get out. Does everyone understand?" Knight, the leader of the young women, spoke. The others nodded in agreement, watching the fortress warily.

"In and out! Shouldn't be a big deal!" Ranger, the youngest and most light hearted of the group agreed. She spare a look back, smiling. "What do you think, Mister Gunslinger?"

The other girls looked back, their temporary party addition standing close by. He leaned against the trunk of a tree, cleaning one of his guns with a rag.

"Not a bad plan. Simple, but works," Arthur said, spitting some flem off to the side. "But a couple things before we head in. How long ago since that girl got nabbed?"

"About three days. Why?" Wizard asked, tilting her head in question.

"Just wanna figure out their chances of her still breathin'," Arthur said, releasing a reluctant sigh as he stashed his revolver away. "Three days ain't promisin'... chances are low she's even alive. If they are, they might be wishin' they weren't."

"What do you suggest then?" Monk asked him, her brow furrowing.

"Honestly, I'd like to just burn this place down with all the goblins in it. But-"

"We can't do that! If there's a chance that girl is alive, then-"

"I know, lil' lady. I know," Arthur raised his hands, trying to keep Knight from losing her cool. "I ain't sayin' we don't try and go in. But in a place this big… it'll be hard to keep from gettin' out in the open. Even if we tread quietly and the goblins are asleep, the smallest thing could set 'em off. And trust me when I say that, in a fortress this big, there's gonna be a whole _lot_ of 'em."

Knight bit her bottom lip, looking to her comrades in question. None of them spoke at first, knowing full well of the experience that Gunslinger had over them. To ignore his words was to waste the reason they asked him to come. Aside from Goblin Slayer himself, he was the most experienced goblin killer around. If anything, they were rather lucky that he happened to be back at the guild before taking the quest.

"Okay… what do you suggest, then?" Knight asked, setting aside her pride.

"Me and Ranger here go and scout the place out." Arthur said, motioning to the lone Rhea of the group. "We can move quicker and quieter on our own. We'll look for the girl and, if we can, get her out. Once we're back, then we'll light this place up."

"Just the two of you? Are you sure?" Monk asked with some nervousness.

"If we set somethin' off, it'll be easier for us to bolt with just us. You three can watch the front exit. That way, if we gotta make a run for it, you can keep us from bein' cut off. I'd rather fight them all up front rather than chance gettin' butchered inside." Arthur suggested before looking at Ranger. "That is, if you're willin' of course."

"I-If you're willing to put trust in me, Mister Gunslinger, I'm up for it!" Ranger nodded eagerly.

"Still, I'm not sure about this… perhaps I could accompany you instead? In such close quarters, my fighting ability might be more suited for the infiltration." Knight proposed. It wasn't that she didn't trust Ranger, but she did fear risking her close friend in such a quest without being by her side.

"Maybe, but Ranger's small and quick. Plus she won't make as much noise movin' around without armor," said Arthur, scratching the hairs on his chin. "We only gotta save one girl. Ain't no reason to risk the whole party just tryin' to find her. You leave it to us, and we all go home, hopefully with our girl."

The group shared a silent look, tempering their emotions and trying to think logically. Arthur was right. Such a large fortress was dangerous to explore without full knowledge. As a group, they yielded higher chances of alarming the goblins even as they slept. And if they were to get caught in a bad spot, their chances of survival would drop dramatically.

"Alright, Gunslinger. I will trust you with the hostage and my comrade's life. Please be careful."

"I'll do my best. Now let's get goin'," Arthur said, tugging on the brim of his hat as he lead the way. The five of them soon arrived at the front entrance, two goblins guarding it. They were quickly dealt with by Ranger and Arthur, arrows piercing their guts within moments.

"Wish us luck," Ranger said, keeping her voice level as she tried to remain confident. She veiled her trepidation well.

"If somethin' goes wrong, try and make some noise. Bring 'em out front so that we got an easier escape. Just remember to keep your eyes up for any tryin' to shoot down on you if you do." Arthur said, his custom hatchet in hand.

"I pray for safety for you both," Monk said, wringing her hands around her staff.

Arthur and Ranger moved quietly through the fortress. Though it wasn't quite what Arthur was used to exploring, he knew exactly what to expect by now. One thing he could appreciate was the amount of light they had, the sun pushing through the branches and brush overhead. Ranger and Arthur took turns scouting out traps set by both goblins and the previous inhabitants. He imagined that it was set up to stop a siege and keep invaders from getting too deep within their home, something that now worked against the two as they went deeper and deeper, slowing their progress.

It also didn't help that Arthur was slitting the throats of any goblins lying around.

"H-Hey! We should keep moving!" Ranger said, her eyes darting around to the still sleeping goblins while Arthur ran the blade of his hatchet across one's throat.

"I'm makin' sure our exit's clear. You do the same," Arthur advised, shooting the Rhea girl a look. Ranger wanted to argue, but knew better than to get snippity or loud, considering their position. So instead, she obeyed, slitting several goblin's throats before they could even let out another snore.

It was gruesome work, but it was safe. And she had no doubt that she would get much worse if the position were reversed. Goblins weren't known for restraint, after all.

Their progress might have slowed, but the two were able to make their way through the entire fortress without a single encounter. A good thing as well, because Arthur doubted that they came even close to killing all the goblins that were occupying the tree fortress. So he when they finally came across a young woman's body, he was relieved. Until the relief was quickly replaced with caution.

"There she is!" Ranger smiled, getting ready to rush forward. She was jerked back suddenly as Arthur grabbed her arm, pulling her close. "H-Hey!"

"Don't be jumpin' too quick to grab her. Look carefully," Arthur whispered, pointing forward with his free hand. Ranger shifted her gaze back, narrowing her eyes at the young woman's body. As she focused harder, her eyes widened, seeing a thin metal cord stretching out from under the woman. "No way…"

"Yeah. That's a pretty favored goblin trap," Arthur explained, stepping closer to the body and sighing. "Shit… she ain't breathin', neither. She's gone."

"No…" Ranger muttered, biting inside her cheek. "We were too late…"

"Don't beat yourself up. I don't think settin' out a few hours earlier woulda saved her. She… She's been gone," Arthur breathed out, standing straight up. "Come on. Let's get outta here."

"Are we… going to leave her?" Ranger asked hesitantly, rubbing her arm as she looked down at the body with remorse.

"Trust me, kid. Her family ain't gonna want to see her body like that," Arthur said, putting a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "No parent would."

Ranger looked up at him with regret, but remained silent as she spared a look down at the girl again. Her hands tightened into fists, frustration building up in her. "Th-These… damn goblins."

"Don't worry, I've got that part covered. Trust me on that," Arthur said, his eyes narrowed. Ranger looked up at him again before silently nodding, the two taking their leave. Now that they were familiar with the path, getting out of the fortress was the easy part, especially with the goblins they passed all slain and staining the ground.

"You're back! Thank goodness," Knight greeted them, the girls rushing up to the two as they exited the fortress. They soon noticed they didn't have their target. "Was she…?"

"It was too late for her," Arthur said, shaking his head. "And bringin' her body… well, it's best to say it wasn't pretty."

"Yes… it wouldn't have brought any solace to the family," Ranger agreed, her gaze cast to the ground.

"Gods…" Monk muttered, looking down in regret.

"Damn… that poor girl…" Knight mumbled, gripping her sword's hilt in frustration.

"Well, if y'all wanna get goin', we can. Couldn't fulfill the quest, after all," Arthur offered, digging through his satchel. "Or… you can stay, and we can kill some goblins. Make sure none of 'em do this to another girl in that village." He pulled out a fire bottle, offering it to Ranger. "What do you girls say?"

Ranger took the bottle, tilting her head in question for a moment. But remembering the girl's tortured body, Ranger gripped it tightly, looking up at Arthur with a burning rage. "I want to kill them."

"As do I. Leaving them here would be condemning more to the same fate, after all," Knight said, drawing her sword.

"I believe we're all of the same mind," Wizard said, with Monk giving a nod in agreement.

"Good to hear. Nice to know I won't be doin' it alone," Arthur chuckled, producing another fire bottle. "Are y'all ready?"

The girls each fell in line, mentally preparing for what came next. Though Ranger looked down at the bottle again inquisitively. "What do I do with this, though?"

"Easy. You chuck it." Arthur soon stressed that point by throwing the fire bottle in his hand, glass and flame spreading across the bark of the wooden fortress. Arthur lit a match, lighting the cloth of Ranger's bottle. "Whenever you're ready."

Ranger looked down at the burning cloth, somewhat amazed by the effectiveness as fire continued to burn across the fortress front. With a resolute nod, Ranger let the bottle fly, adding to the building flames.

"They should know we're here by now. Stay on alert!" Knight said as she drew her sword. "Ranger, watch the tree line. Wizard, help me watch the front gate."

"Right!" The others answered, Ranger drawing an arrow and taking aim. Arthur unslung his Rolling Block rifle from his shoulder, holding it ready for any goblins that might pop out. They heard the rumbling of feet and growls, the goblins finally waking from their sleep. Several goblins rose out from the branches, looking down at the five of them and grumbling incoherent sounds.

"Got one?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." Ranger answered, loosing an arrow. It struck a goblin straight between the eyes.

Arthur followed suit, his sniper rifle booming as it loosed a bullet. The goblin he targeted was soon missing a head, its body flying back. The other goblins cowered, stunned as they looked back at the headless body smack against the wall. Ranger immediately killed another with an arrow to the throat, her aim swift and true. Arthur blasted another, this time its body splitting in half at the stomach.

"Such a powerful weapon… and so fast…" Wizard muttered, watching Arthur reload the gun.

"We have company up front!" Knight announced, taking a battle stance at the front. The smoke was beginning to build up and the fire spreading across the tree. Arthur had no doubt that a great mass of them would soon be coming, either to kill them or to escape the ensuing blaze.

"Keep an eye up top for us," Arthur said, slinging his rifle and pulling out his custom cattleman revolver. An idea suddenly came to him, sparing a look back at Monk. "Hey. Do you got that miracle Protection?"

"Hm? Why-yes, I do. Why?" Monk answered, raising a brow. A sly smirk made its way onto Arthur's face, giving a nod.

"Good. I was just thinkin' about what my partner would do in this situation, and… I think I know," he chuckled, peering into the wooden gate. "When I tell ya, put that miracle up right at the door."

"Okay!" Monk raised her sounding staff, holding it close.

"What are you planning?" Knight asked curiously, sparing him a look over the shoulder.

"You'll see." Arthur kept his gun up, just in case. He saw the figures of multiple goblins approaching through the smoke. "Alright, now!"

Monk began to chant the mantra of her religion, slamming her staff into the ground.  
 _"Protection!"_

A wall of light not dissimilar to what Priestess would create was erected in front of the door. Only a few goblins made it outside before the wall stopped the rest short, the monsters stuck within the burning fortress. The ones outside didn't have it any better, though.

"HIYAH!" Knight cried, slashing through the first goblin she could reach. Arthur put a golf ball sized hole in another's head before taking aim to shoot the other, but Wizard soon dispatched of it with a fireball. Arthur spun his gun on his finger before putting it back on his holster.

"Looks like we're clear. Any up top, Ranger?" Arthur asked, sparing a look back at the Rhea.

"No. A few appeared, but I was able to kill them easily." Ranger announced, smiling proudly.

"Good. With that, I'd say we've dealt with the majority of 'em," Arthur said, walking up to Knight. "We should take a last look around though. We know the back was already caved in before we got here, but never know if a few jumped for it or if they dug some holes in the ground."

"Right…" Knight mumbled, her eyes focused on the fortress entrance, Wizard and Monk doing the same. Arthur followed their gaze, seeing the gathering goblins beginning to suffocate on the smoke behind the wall of light. They slowly began to die, sliding to the ground in agony.

"I've… never thought to use a miracle like that…" Monk mumbled, swallowing a lump in her throat.

"You should. Just 'cause you use it for one purpose, don't mean it can't be used for somethin' else," Arthur shrugged, his hands gripping his belt at the front.. "My partner told me somethin' once. 'Imagination is a weapon. Those who don't use it die first.' Can't say I disagree with that."

The girls remained silent, unable to deny his words. After all, the results yielded were real.

Arthur watched the building smoke for a moment longer before drawing his revolver again. "Come on. Let's not give 'em too much chance to run off."

Knight watched the burning tree for a moment long before nodding, turning to the others. "Let's go."

The female party soon followed suit, the five running around and finishing off the few survivors that made it out one way or another. The tree fortress burned long into the day, and it wasn't until Monk communed with the local water spirits that the fire would finally die out.

* * *

 _ **Been an interesting month since Priestess joined us.**_

 _ **The girl looks so fragile, but she's constantly pushing to join us on goblin quests. I can't help but worry that she's gonna eventually work herself to death. But she wants to keep learning. Stopping her wouldn't do her much good. Still, can't help but worry every time a goblin gets too close. Think I've butchered one too many in front of her pretty brutally.**_

 _ **Not that Goblin Slayer gives that a thought. I guess he shouldn't and neither should I, but I suppose it's just me trying to be a little more considerate of the girl.**_

 _ **That aside, I ended up going on a quest with some all women party. Buncha little ladies looking to tackle some goblins in an old fortress. They all seemed pretty decent, but their leader still had the brains to ask for some help. Goblin Slayer and Priestess left on a mission without me, so it ended up working out.**_

 _ **Who knows what would have happened had I not come. The girls seemed to handle themselves well enough, but… it takes one bad roll of the dice to have things go wrong.**_

* * *

"Thank you, Mister Gunslinger!"

The young female party bowed in appreciation, Knight smiling up at Arthur as she stood straight.

"Ain't no need for that. That's what we get paid for," Arthur chuckled, tugging on the brim of his hat.

"Still, it was really cool to work with an emerald rank! Thanks for taking the time to work with us down here in steel rank!" Ranger giggled, giving him a bright grin and a kind jab in the shoulder.

"We were honored to work with you. It was a shame the way that things turned out for the young lady, but those goblins won't be hurting anyone again," Knight said, resting a hand on her sword.

"We would be welcome to having you join us again, if you wouldn't mind," said Wizard this time.

"Well, if I happen to be in between jobs or not waitin' on my partner, I'd be happy to help. Even if he ain't always willin' to wait," said Arthur.

"And I'll keep your advice in mind, Mister Gunslinger! I'll try to use my miracles in more imaginative ways from now on," Monk said, balling her fists in front of her in determination.

"Good. But that advice extends to all of you. You all got plenty of good heads on your shoulders, just make sure you use 'em," Arthur advised before putting a cigarette in his mouth.

"Yes. We'll do our best to keep getting better," Knight nodded, turning around with her party. "Hope to see you soon!"

"Same to you four. Be safe out there," Arthur said, tipping his hat as he bid the girls farewell. He headed to the bar, tossing a coin on the table for a drink. "Beer, please. A drink sounds good after all that travelin'."

"Well~, if it isn't the ever popular Gunslinger, finally slinking back here," Arthur smirked, looking over his shoulder to see Padfoot Waitress walking up to him. The excitable waitress stuck her hip out as she put a hand on one side, her face scrutinizing him. "Did you have lotsa fun with all those girls?"

"I don't think I quite get what you mean, Padfoot Waitress. I was simply doin' my duty as a fellow adventurer and helpin' in what way I could," Arthur said, his voice hiding none of his humor.

"Sure~, whatever you say. I'm sure all those cute girls didn't make Mister 'Ring Dang Doo' blush a bit, huh?" Padfoot Waitress retorted, her eyes narrowing as Arthur winced.

"You're never gonna let me live that song down, are you?"

"Nope~!" Padfoot Waitress giggled, skipping over to him.

"Of course not… jokes aside, it was a pretty standard mission. Well, far as goblin killin' goes, at least. Those girls are pretty good. They keep workin' hard, they'll get better." Arthur said, turning in his chair to the beer that the bartender placed in front of him.

"I'm sure that's all that was on your mind," Padfoot Waitress huffed, putting more attitude in her tone.

"It honestly was, I swear. Not really into girls that young anyway," Arthur shrugged, leaning forward on the bar as he took a sip from his drink.

"What do you mean? They're all of age." Padfoot Waitress tilted her head in wonder.

 _Maybe here they are._ "Guess I just like girls more… mature, maybe," Arthur shrugged carelessly. "Twenty or so, at least."

The 1800's might have had a technical low age of consent close to 12 years old, but it was a pretty bad stigma if you were the type of person to be with someone that young and being far older than them. Laws for raising the age of consent to 18 had started talks for quite some time, though some states attempted to hold out for 16 instead.

Aside from that though, Arthur still had the soul of a 35 year old man. Older women were just more appealing to him.

Padfoot Waitress blinked at that but gave a broad smile. "Twenty, huh? I see, I see~! Very interesting! And here I thought you might be open to all types!"

"Yeah, well, that's not to say I'm lookin' for somethin' like that. I mean, sure, I like women plenty, but uh… I'm not particularly interested in bein' involved with someone," Arthur explained, causing Padfoot Waitress to stiffen up.

"O-Oh? Why is that?" She asked, doing her best to sound casual.

"That's… a bigger question than you think," Arthur said with a humorless chuckle, eyes focused down on his bottle. "But the long and short of it is that I'd rather not while I'm doin' stuff like adventurin', you know?"

Padfoot Waitress raised a brow, opening her mouth to push further. But she stopped short, trying to consider his position. Despite having known each other for so long, Arthur followed the rule of thumb that most did, and kept his past under lock and key. She easily guessed that it had something to do with that, and knew better than to push the subject.

"I see… W-Well, if you ever change your mind and need advice, let me know! My friends always count on me when it comes to relationship advice!" Padfoot Waitress said, trying to act confident as she put a confident smile on.

"I'll be sure to remember that. Might be good to have a woman's advice when tryin' to deal with one," Arthur chuckled. "And hey. Since I got you, mind makin' me some chicken and potatoes? I could go for some food."

"Oh, right away! Just leave it to me!" Padfoot Waitress grinned ear to ear, always happy to jump on a chance to make a meal for her favorite customer. Arthur watched the waitress skip off, giving a small smile before returning to his drink. _Good girl. Reminds me a bit of Mary-Beth. Hope she has better taste in men, though._

"Ah, Mister Gunslinger!" Arthur heard a familiar voice, looking over his shoulder to find Priestess and Goblin Slayer entering the bar area.

"Hey." Goblin Slayer greeted, the two walking over to him.

"Well, if it ain't my partner, casually walkin' in after leavin' without a word," Arthur said with some amusement.

"Hrk," Goblin Slayer grunted, his voice sounding a bit awkward. One of the fun things about teasing him for Arthur was that he sometimes took certain things a bit serious. "... Sorry."

"Ah, I'm just playin'. Ain't like we don't do our own quests from time to time," Arthur chuckled, waving them over to join him. "How was it, then? You take a big one without me?"

"It was a bit more difficult, yes. The reason we left so quickly was because Mister Goblin Slayer said that there were signs that they were planning to attack soon in the quest details." Priestess explained, taking a seat and releasing a tired sigh. She was obviously tired, leaning against the bar for relief.

"They were going to raid a small village. The distance was long, so we needed to leave immediately," Goblin Slayer added, sitting on his opposite side.

"I figured as much. We get a few of those from time to time," Arthur nodded, turning to regard Goblin Slayer. "Plannin' to call it a day, then?"

"Yes. I'll be heading home soon."

"I should return to the monestary as well," Priestess said, her voice hiding little of her exhaustion. She looked like she was about to nod off. "We just… wanted to talk to you first, and see if you wanted to do a job together tomorrow."

"Well, you both know I'm always up for a job. But before that, you both should head home and rest. I'll get the small stuff outta the way and pick a mission for us in the mornin'. Alright?"

"I see. We'll see you then." Goblin Slayer nodded, standing from his seat and turning his helmet to Priestess. "I'll walk you home."

"Okay…" Priestess nodded, giving Arthur a tired smile. "Have a good night, Mister Gunslinger."

"Rest easy, Priestess." Arthur nodded back, watching them leave.

 _That girl really might work herself to death. But I guess that's part of workin' with us._

* * *

"You take really good care of your horse, Mister Gunslinger," Priestess said, smiling as she walked alongside the cowboy. The three set out for another goblin horde quest, walking through a forest bordering their hideout in an old mine. "Most adventurers seem to prefer taking carriages around."

"Yeah, I've noticed. I'm not against it, but I've always preferred a good horse, myself." Arthur shrugged, his hands resting on his belt. "Sure, it's extra work takin' care of one, but… just somethin' about havin' a reliable beast like that around is nice. I think you both should consider gettin' horses of your own."

"Would it help me kill goblins?" was the first thing his partner asked, eliciting a laugh from Arthur.

"Of course that's your first question. But technically, a bit. It's a lot faster to travel by horse than carriage. You'd be able to get around quicker and hit your targets faster." Arthur said, thinking of the practicality.

"I see." Goblin Slayer nodded, sounding somewhat interested. "Perhaps it's not a bad idea."

"I've always wanted to have a horse. Though I've never ridden one by myself," Priestess sighed, looking down in disappointment. "And horses are expensive…"

"Well, tell you what. If you really want somethin' to ride, I don't mind helpin' you get one. I can help you learn how to ride, too," Arthur offered, causing the Priestess to beam at the offer.

"Really?! That would be great! W-Wait, no!" Priestess shook her head and frowned. "I don't want to make you pay for me, Mister Gunslinger. That would be-"

"It's really nothin'. I've got a bit more coins than I need at the moment, what with that whole business venture I got goin' on," Arthur waved her off. "Helpin' you out with that and some lessons ain't even a problem."

"S-Still…"

"Wait." Goblin Slayer's voice brought them to a halt, Priestess and Arthur looking up at the stoic adventurer. "There's smoke."

"What?" They followed his line of sight, looking up to see smoke rising above the treeline.

"That's strange… ain't that close to where the goblins are camped?" Arthur raised a brow, sparing a look at Goblin Slayer.

"It should be if the quest location was right."

"Do you think… the goblins are having a bonfire right now?" Priestess asked hesitantly, unsure of the idea.

"No. They should be asleep right now. Even if they had a fire going, they would hide it in their hole to keep attention away from themselves," Goblin Slayer dismissed, his gaze focusing forward. "Something happened."

"Let's be careful, then. Could be a couple of other adventurers, but who knows," Arthur said, drawing his Schofield revolver and cocking the hammer. "Move quietly, and stay in cover."

"R-Right."

"Yes."

The three proceeded with caution, sticking close to the trees and remaining hidden under the shade of the brush. Just ahead of them, they could see the entrance to the mine, a cow skull signifying the presence of a shaman and its horde sitting outside of it. And just in front of it, Arthur made out the familiar sight of a pile of goblins, their carcasses burning like a bonfire.

"So someone else did kill the goblins already…" Priestess muttered, eyes widening in surprise.

"Well, ain't that peachy. Guess we traveled all this way for nothin'," Arthur sighed, shaking his head.

"Someone's coming out." Goblin Slayer said, causing them both to look up.

"Will you lot hurry up! We've got an order to deliver!" A man walked out of the mine exit, calling back to the inside. He looked like a standard adventurer, wearing plate armor on his chest with a dirty brown cloak draped down his back. He wore woolen pants and ugly leather boots with a fairly standard bastard sword sitting on his hip.

"So he's the-" Priestess started before Arthur cut her off, putting a finger to his lips. Priestess tilted her head in question, wondering why the two were acting so cautious.

"Look…" Goblin Slayer pointed, watching as another few men started to walk out of the cave. Arthur and Priestess widened their eyes, watching as the men had a rope trailing behind them. A rope tied to a number of goblins. Their wrists were tied and they were trudging along reluctantly, but that didn't matter.

What mattered was that they were _alive_.

Goblin Slayer gripped the hilt of his short sword, Arthur almost swearing he could see the bead of a red glowing eye radiating from his helmet. Priestess inhaled a breath, both scared and confused.

"Wh-What are they doing with the goblins?" Priestess asked quietly.

"It doesn't matter." Goblin Slayer said, beginning to walk out of his cover. "Those goblins are going to **die**."

"Hey, slow down!" Arthur said, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back. "You just gonna ignore this fool and his gang here?"

"Yes. Unless they attack me."

"Well, they obviously will if they're supposed to be takin' the goblins somewhere," Arthur huffed, massaging the hairs on his chin. "Look… they're gonna put 'em in some cages right now," he pointed out, motioning forward so that the two could see what he meant. There was a large cart off to the side with a cage being dragged by a horse, the men beginning to load them into it.

"If you're really gonna go through with this, let me distract 'em at least. If I can't convince 'em otherwise, you go ahead and kill all the goblins. You just gotta be ready for a fight if they take some exception to what we do," said Arthur, causing Goblin Slayer to hesitate.

"A-Are you sure about this? We don't know who they are, and there's five of them…" Priestess said, looking at them both with concern.

"As much as I'd like to let this go, you know he ain't," Arthur said, nodding to Goblin Slayer. The way the man focused forward made it clear that his mind was made up. "But I might be able to keep a fight with 'em from breakin' out. Hopefully."

"O-Okay… what do you want me to do?" Priestess asked, wanting to be helpful.

"Well… Tell you what. Stay hidden for us. If I can't 'convince' them to let the goblins go and they wanna fight so bad, use your miracle to light the place up and we'll hightail it outta here," he suggested. "I'm sure you don't want us to kill them if a fight does break out, so that's our only option."

"I see… alright, I can do that." Priestess nodded, wringing her hands around her sounding staff nervously. Arthur couldn't blame her. Dealing with goblins was one thing, but the possibility of fighting other adventurers was a strange notion.

 _Here's hopin' it don't come to that._

"Let's go." Arthur said, slowly moving forward. Goblin Slayer broke off from them, crouching low as he hid in the brush. Arthur motioned for Priestess to stay behind a tree closeby, the young blonde nodding before going into hiding. Arthur exhaled a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever may come. "Here goes nothin'..."

"Heh, we sure were lucky this time. We even got the shaman without killing it!" One of the supposed adventurers laughed, loading the last of the goblins into the cage. At the back of the rope line was the shaman, still wearing its headdress and snarling at its captors.

"That went better than expected. Looks like we got a good payday coming, men!" The supposed leader laughed, grinning at the other four men who let out a resounding cheer.

"Excuse me, fellers," Arthur called out, making himself known to the men. Immediately, each one of them went on guard, turning to Arthur in alarm and caution. Their hands seemed to reflexively go to their swords, though they didn't draw them yet.

"What do you want?" The leader said, raising a brow at Arthur.

"Sorry if I surprised you. I'm just a fellow adventurer who happened to be out for this goblin quest. But from the look o' things, you boys already handled it," Arthur said, sparing a look at the burning pile and the caged goblins. All attention was on him, and so Goblin Slayer moved swiftly toward the cages while their backs were turned.

"We're not adventurers, we're mercenaries. We're not the same as you," The leader said, narrowing his eyes. "Sorry, but you'll have a hard time claiming any reward unless you're willing to lie about who did it. Not like we'll stop you. We've got another deal going on."

"I noticed. Ain't never seen anyone try and catch goblins as opposed to just killin' 'em all." Arthur said, being sure not to look at the cage as to keep eyes away from it. "What exactly you plan on doin' with 'em?"

"It's not any of your business what we do with 'em. Just be happy you didn't have to go through the trouble of killing them yourself." The leader said, getting ready to turn around.

"Now, see, I can't do that." Arthur stopped him, resting his hands on his revolvers cautiously. He could tell that these men were less than cordial compared to the men at the guild. And considering that they had the titles of mercenaries, he knew they were likely willing to kill a man in their way if they wanted. "My job was to come and kill the goblins. And while I'm sure you don't got any sorta kind intentions for 'em, I can't say lettin' you take 'em seems like a good idea either."

"Huh?! You got a problem with your head, asshole?!" One of the grunts snarled, taking a step forward. Arthur was getting ready to draw his gun, but the leader held an arm out.

"Calm down, Merc Grunt. We don't want a fight with some adventurer. Don't even know who he is or if he's alone," The leader said, eyes staring back into Arthur's. "They don't usually travel alone. So my guess is that you've got your party hidden somewhere, waiting for us to make a move."

"You know, I had you pegged for the leader. You seem smart enough to understand the situation," Arthur smirked, thankful for the element of surprise.

"Someone has to think for this lot," the mercenary answered, crossing his arms over his breast plate. "I'm Merc Captain."

"Gunslinger. Emerald rank. Though I think I might be ruby soon," Arthur said, though he noticed the other men turn their heads in surprise.

"Wait, that big hunter? Don't you go after big animal game?" One of the mercs said.

"I've heard of you. I've also heard you're close partners with that man Goblin Slayer as well." Merc Captain said, a small smirk spreading on his lips. "He's a pretty famous silver rank. Well, famous for only focusing on goblins. I guess I can see why you aren't particularly ready to let this go."

"Smart man. My partner and I ain't very complicated men. We see goblins, we kill 'em. And right now, you got a cage full of 'em, just waitin' to die." Arthur said, his thumbs tapping on the grips of his guns. "Much as I'd like to let this go and have you fellers be on your merry way, I can't say I'm too thrilled to see you boys cart off so many. And neither is my partner, though I'd argue exponentially so."

Goblin Slayer was hidden well behind the cart, the goblins hollering wildly having noticed him. Of course, the merc standing closest was unaware, only shouting for the goblins to shut up and hitting the cage with his sword. Arthur had to admit, Goblin Slayer was showing some extraordinary resilience in the face of so many goblins. He was half expecting his partner to already kill them by now.

"Sorry, but we've got a job of our own to fulfill. Bringin' this lot back to an alchemist for testing." Merc Captain said, causing Arthur to raise a brow in question. "Apparently, he wants to try and see if he can change a goblin's personality and affinity to tame their species. He's a bit of a loon, but he pays well for us to bring him these little monsters."

"Ten gold coins a goblin! What a deal!" One of the grunts laughed.

"Ten gold coins each? Seems like a bit much for one of those nasty bastards." Arthur said, looking at the cage.

"It's easier to kill a goblin than it is to capture them. They're savage little things and travel in hordes. Even if you kill most of them, the others will just run away and are pretty damn slippery. Might be harder than you think," Merc Captain shrugged, resting his hand on his sword's hilt. "So I'd appreciate it if you didn't waste our efforts. We're taking this lot back to the alchemist. If it makes you feel better, maybe his experiment will work. You might even see some good goblins running around."

" **No."**

 _Ah, shit…_

Arthur and the Mercenaries pulled their attention to the cage, Goblin Slayer now standing on top of the bars. With a lit fire bottle in his hand.

"They won't be walking around. Because the only good goblin is a **dead goblin."**

Before the men could say a word, Goblin Slayer chucked the fire bottle between the bars, fire and glass erupting in a brilliant display. The goblins shrieked in pain, the fire spreading across them in an instant.

"You son of a-"

 ***BOOM***

One of the goblins' heads exploded inside the cage, Arthur having drawn his Schofield and shot it. Of course, that was only to serve as a warning, quickly readjusting his aim to the Merc Captain, his gun to his head. "Don't do it, buddy. Trust me."

The five mercenaries had winced from the sound, each one looking at Arthur in confusion and fear. Merc Captain did well to keep his composure, sweat trailing down his brow.

"You bastards… you just cost us a lot of gold…" he growled, hesitating to go for his sword after what Arthur did.

"Sorry, but my partner ain't much for gray area when it comes to goblins. For good reason," Arthur said, taking several steps back from the mercenaries. Goblin Slayer hopped off the cage, walking up to Arthur with his sword drawn.

"A little better warnin' next time would be nice," Arthur said, sparing a scalding glare at his partner.

"Sorry. It was taking too long." Goblin Slayer said, looking at the mercenaries. "What should we do?"

"You sons of bitches! We'll get you back for this!" A grunt growled, reaching for his sword after so much hesitation. Arthur answered that by putting a hole in his hand just as he touched the hilt. "GAAAGH~!"

"I'm sorry, but was the goblin head explodin' not enough warnin' for ya?!" Arthur snapped, training the gun on the leader. "You better keep your men in line before they get an early grave over a few goblins!"

"Men! Stand down!" Merc Captain ordered, gritting his teeth as he better understood the situation.

"M-My hand, cap-"

"You deserved it! Now stand down!" He silenced him, though the grunt continued to whine in pain as he held his shaking arm.

"Looks like you do all the thinkin' for your men." Arthur said, his eyes scanning across the group for any other aggressive movement. At this point though, none of them even twitched toward their swords. "Now do yourselves a favor and get back on your cart and leave. I'm sure if you detach the cage, you don't gotta worry about it catchin' fire as well."

"You have no idea who you're screwing over. Our entire band will be after you! You think we'll just take this lying down?" Merc Captain snarled, only for Arthur to readjust his aim to the captain.

"I understand your position, but you have to understand mine. I could just kill all five of you and be done with it. Burn your bodies so that nobody even knows what happened to you. But I believe it'd be quite a shame and a lotta work to do all that. Then again, we didn't even get to kill any goblins," Arthur shrugged, happy to see that each of them tensed in terror.

"Gunslinger." Goblin Slayer said, his own voice hesitant. Arthur spared a look at him, understanding what was being conveyed by his stoic partner with just one word.

Arthur was seriously considering the option of killing them, too. Having a mercenary band after them didn't sound like a good idea. Part of him was sure that in the old days, he wouldn't have wasted so many words on these men. He felt that darkness tempt him again, wanting to do the easy thing and leave these men out as bird feed. He had no doubt that they likely deserved whatever they got.

But things were different now. Arthur didn't want to be that man again. He didn't want to set that kind of example for Priestess, either. So, Arthur pushed that darkness away, and decocked the hammer of his gun.

"Yeah, maybe that's a bit much. But I can be reasonable man," Arthur said, keeping up a tough and casual facade before lowering his gun for a moment. "So tell you what. How about we make a deal. I'll let you fellers go, you don't come after us, and we all move on with our lives."

Merc Captain tightened his fist and narrowed his eyes. "Even if I was able to forget this happening, my men won't. We're losing a lot of coin in this, and you shot one of their hands."

"We can pay you the reward for the quest." Goblin Slayer suddenly offered, causing Arthur to raise a brow. "Would that suffice?"

"Please. We were getting ten gold coins for each goblin. I'm sure your quest wasn't even worth a tenth of what we would get." Merc Captain huffed, glaring at Goblin Slayer now.

"You know, for a few guys cornered and so little options, you're being mighty negotiative," Arthur said, cocking the hammer again.

"I'm being honest here. You can either kill us or send us on our way, and we'll come looking for you." Merc Captain declared, sweat trailing down his face. He was nervous, that was obvious, but that made his words even more true. "That's just how our band works."

 _I should just kill them._

Arthur grit his teeth, pushing the thought away again as he decided to do something he was sure to regret. "You're gonna owe me big time for this," Arthur huffed, sparing a look at Goblin Slayer.

"What?" His partner chirped innocently.

"Look, I can't pay you what you were gonna get for those goblins, but I can make it close." Arthur said, fishing into his satchel and producing a money pouch. "Six big gold coins. And a health potion for your friend's hand. You take that and you leave us alone."

Merc Captain raised a brow, sparing a look at his men. "What, can't take a life? I thought you adventurers had tougher grit than that," he said, for some reason deciding to challenge Arthur's position. Perhaps he was trying to decide whether it was a good idea to chance attacking them. But Arthur wouldn't let that happen.

"Oh, trust me buddy. I've killed far more than you and your entire band probably boasts about killin'. Killin' you all would be the easiest thing I could do right now." Arthur said, his voice becoming grave and threatening. "But I'm offerin' you and your men an out so that you're not added to my long list. Do yourselves a favor, take it, and get lost. Forget you even met us."

Merc Captain seemed to temper any thoughts of retaliation once Arthur was done, a deep frown forming on his lips. He spared one last look at his men again and sighed, nodding in agreement. "Deal. Give us the coin and potion, and we'll be on our way."

Arthur chucked the coin pouch at Merc Captain before pulling out the health potion and tossing it to the hurt merc. "I would say it's a pleasure, but it's hard to say that since this ended up bein' the most expensive goblin hunt I've ever been on. Now get outta my sight." Arthur said, lowering his gun but keeping it in his hand. The mercenaries slowly made their way to their carriage, the leader lagging behind the rest.

"I didn't see it at first, but I can tell now." Merc Captain said, a small smirk on his face. "You are a real killer, huh? I might have chanced it otherwise. If you want to stop wasting time on quests and make _real_ money. You should join our band, the Ash Wolves."

Arthur let out a scoff, shaking his head. "I'll pass. I'll keep killin' monsters as opposed to people, I think."

"If that's what you want." Merc Captain turned around, heading for the carriage.

"Hey." Arthur called out, stopping him. "You better keep your word. 'Cause if I get a single one of your boys come after me, I'll hunt you all down myself and get my money back."

Merc Captain let out a small chuckle. "We won't. I'll kill the man who tries to mess with you if I have to." With that, the mercenaries soon left, Arthur and Goblin Slayer watching them ride off. When they were finally out of sight, Arthur let out a tired sigh and put his gun away, looking at Goblin Slayer.

"Put that gold on your tab for things you owe me." Arthur huffed, leaning a hand on his gun grips.

"Hrk…" Goblin Slayer grunted, his helmet looking down in some shame. "Sorry… I'll pay you back."

"Ah, don't worry. We'll work somethin' out. But prepare for some extra hunts that don't involve goblins in the near future," Arthur chuckled, slapping his shoulder.

"Are both of you okay?" They heard Priestess, the young blonde soon coming out of the treeline and frowning. "That was all very scary. I wasn't sure what would happen."

"Well, things didn't go too bad, I guess. No one but the goblins are dead. The worst thing about it is that I lost some money," Arthur shrugged.

"I am sorry." Goblin Slayer said again. "I will pay you back, somehow."

"Well, don't bother savin' up money. You barely scrape by on goblin quests as it is," Arthur chuckled before looking at Priestess. "Come on, let's get outta here. Had enough of this place already."

The three began to walk through the forest, heading back to where the carriage was waiting for them. Arthur watched Priestess from the side, seeing the confliction in her expression. He began to feel nervous, wondering how much she had heard between him and the mercenary. _I said a lot more than I meant to._

"Mister Gunslinger…"

Arthur was drawn out of his thoughts, looking at Priestess. "Yeah?" He veiled his concern, doing his best to remain as casual as possible. But his worries were soon wiped away when the young girl gave him an earnest smile.

"I'm sorry that you lost so much money like that, but… I'm really glad you didn't kill them. They were really threatening, so I was worried, but… you did everything you could to spare their lives. That was very thoughtful of you." She said, her smile filling him with a few unwanted but welcome emotions, causing him to release a heartfelt chuckle.

"Yeah, well… I didn't wanna make a mess is all…"

"No. You're a good man." Arthur's head snapped up to Goblin Slayer, his helmet staring back at him. Arthur stared at him, his jaw falling slightly but unable to find the words.

"He's right. You really are," Priestess nodded fervently, but then turned a puffy cheeked expression to Goblin Slayer. "But seriously, Mister Goblin Slayer! You acted way too recklessly!"

"Sorry…"

Arthur remained silent as he watched Priestess continue to scold his partner, finding a small smile resting on his lips.

 _Well… I still don't know if I'm a good man. But I can keep tryin' for this group, at least._

 **To be continued…**

 **Phew, that ended up being longer than I anticipated!**

 **The second half of this chapter was actually a huge toss up on my part. I had some idea for what I wanted, but it made me think that it would just be another repetitive goblin killing mission with some other antics going on. And then I thought 'Well, I also kind of want something of an overarching story eventually.'**

 **And then this came as the result. It ended up being a lot more than I meant to do. But it ended up being a good chance to establish a moment of struggle for Arthur to revert to some of his old ways, as well as establish a group that may become more important later on. We'll see where I go with that in the future.**

 **Don't worry, we're getting to the rest of the party soon enough. Very soon, actually. But for now, I hope this chapter was satisfying on its own. Please feel free to leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind. Also, if you can, try and add to the TVTropes page of this story! It could certainly use some more additions to it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I own neither Goblin Slayer or Red Dead Redemption**

Chapter 8

"We would like to present to you your ruby tag, Mister Gunslinger!"

Arthur smiled as he took the carved gem tag, holding it up to the light. It was a long time coming, but he could feel some pride in his achievement. He wasn't usually one to think much of position in the workplace, coming from an equal opportunity gang after all, but he couldn't deny the small bit of achievement he felt having earned the latest rank.

"Thank you kindly, Guild Girl. Only a few more ranks and I'll be caught up to my partner," Arthur chuckled, putting the tag over his neck and tucking it under his neckerchief.

"All in due time. I have no doubt you'll be caught up soon. You have earned your rank remarkably faster compared to most other adventurers, after all," Guild Girl pointed out.

"Right, there is that. That reminds me though, when is Priestess gettin' her rank up?" Arthur asked. "She's been workin' real hard with us these past couple months."

"She'll be getting one soon, I believe. Though I have to admit, it is… much harder for her." Guild Girl sighed, rubbing her neck.

"Why's that? She puts in a lotta work."

"You're right about that, but despite this, she's still working with two incredibly high ranked adventurers. While you were the same at first, your reports with Goblin Slayer's make it clear that you work just as hard as him, as well as how you were able to go on a good deal of quests alone. While Priestess is doing well as support, some question whether or not she can handle herself if she were in a different party, or that you two are taking on all the work while she's carried by you." Guild Girl went onto explain, causing Arthur to frown and rub his chin hairs.

"That don't seem exactly fair. She's always ready to go on jobs with us. Pushes herself too hard sometimes." Arthur suggested, earning a nod from Guild Girl.

"I do agree with you, but I'm not the only one who judges on a person's rank up. If you want to put in a good word with the other observers, you can and it could help, though."

"I see… maybe I'll do that. Reckon the girl deserves it for all the hard work," Arthur nodded before tipping his hat. "Anyway, thanks again. I'll be sure to put this new tag to use for jobs when I ain't goblin huntin'."

"Of course, it was my pleasure. I look forward to seeing what work you handle from here on," Guild Girl smiled, giving a wave as Arthur left the interview office. The cowboy walked to the guild's main hall, looking down to see Goblin Slayer and Priestess waiting for him at the bottom of the steps.

"Mister Gunslinger! Did it go well?" Priestess asked expectantly, her eyes shining with hope and worry.

"You know, it's hard to say…" Arthur sighed, feigning some disappointment as he trotted down the steps. Priestess seemed crestfallen by his response, only for Arthur to laugh and pull the tag up for her to see. "Just kiddin'. It went great."

"Ah! Congratulations, Mister Gunslinger! You frightened me for a moment," Priestess giggled, giving him a dazzling smile.

"Good job." Goblin Slayer said shortly. "You worked hard for it."

"I had some good help," Arthur said, patting him on the shoulder. "Speakin' of, I'm callin' in some of that help tomorrow. We're goin' huntin', and it ain't for no goblin."

"Right…" Goblin Slayer lowered his head. "I do owe you."

"That you do. But don't worry, we'll still divide the take evenly," Arthur chuckled before walking past them. "But for now, I'm feelin' quite generous today. Come on, I got a couple gifts for you."

"For us? But you're the one who ranked up today. If anything, we should be giving you gifts," Priestess said, jogging to his side as she and Goblin Slayer fell in line with Arthur.

"Nah, you don't gotta worry about me. I can get whatever I need. But there is somethin' I think y'all are in sore need of. And that's a ride of your own." Arthur pushed open the guild doors, leading them to his horse. "This one's for you, Goblin Slayer. I'm gonna give you my old horse."

"Are you sure?" Goblin Slayer tilted his head toward the brindle horse as Arthur walked up to it, the cowboy beginning to pat its neck.

"You've had it for some time, haven't you? You don't mind giving him up?" Priestess asked.

"He's a good horse, but I've been thinkin' of gettin' a new ride. Besides, I think it's better for Goblin Slayer to get a horse I've already taught everything it needs to know and has been around him." Arthur explained, pulling a brush out of its saddle bag. "Just promise you'll take care of the big guy, and he's all yours. I'm sure the farm you live on can accommodate him, too."

"... Thank you. I will." Goblin Slayer walked up to the horse, placing a gentle hand on its mane. The horse whinnied in approval, having spent enough time around Goblin Slayer by now.

"Good to hear. Now that it's settled, time to get yours, lil' lady." Arthur said, turning around and walking down the town road.

"F-For me? But I don't-"

"Come on, I said I would before. Besides, if me and him got a mount, you need one too. Gotta make sure you can keep up, after all," Arthur dismissed, leading the two away from the guild.

"Well… okay, if you don't mind." Priestess smiled, quickly catching up to him. "Thank you very much!"

"Don't mention it. You work hard, Priestess. I think you need a little somethin' to show for it, is all." Arthur reassured her, patting her on the head. Priestess bashfully rubbed her neck, looking away.

"Where are we going?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"There's a stable in town that we can get horses from. Had my eye on a beautiful beast for some time, honestly," Arthur admitted. "We can get both ours from there."

"I see."

The three moved through the town, Priestess practically skipping along the way. Arthur found it amusing, watching the young lady anticipate her new mount. They soon arrived at the stable, a husky man in overalls greeting them as they arrived.

"Ah, Mister Gunslinger! Here to browse again?"

"Nope, not this time. Lookin' to buy. Somethin' for me an' somethin' for the lil' lady." Arthur said, pointing to Priestess who bowed in greeting.

"Ah, I see! Well then, I think you'll be happy with our stocks! We just got a few new mounts for you all to spare a look at if ye like. Let's have a look around!" The stable owner said, waving a hand and leading them in. The stable itself was rather large, and understandably so. The three saw an assortment of mounts that weren't limited to horses.

"Now, we've got a few good creatures in stock! Recently we had a camel imported from one of the desert countries. Fine beast that can travel for longer times over distance than horses, though are notably slower. For the young lady though, I'd recommend a pony or a mule. She does have a small frame."

"True, but I think she needs somethin' that can keep up with what we're gonna ride. Though a camel might be a bit much." Arthur said. "A regular ol' horse will do."

"A pony does sound cute, but I don't want to hold the group back." Priestess nodded in affirmation.

"Of course, of course. Are you still interested in the Warhorse, or will you be getting a regular stallion?" The stable owner asked curiously.

"The Warhorse for me. That was a beautiful beast if I ever seen one."

"What's special about the Warhorse?" Goblin Slayer asked curiously.

"The Warhorse is built for combat and long rides! It can trot on for days and trample through a crowd of men. It's stronger than other horses and twice as durable! You won't find many other steeds out there built better!" The stable owner bragged, puffing his chest out in pride.

"I doubt some of it, but it certainly is a special beast to behold." Arthur chuckled, causing the stable owner to deflate. "I've been savin' up some since I saw it. Should be exactly what… what…" Arthur slowed to a stop, his eyes caught on something across the room. "What the hell is _that_?"

Goblin Slayer and Priestess stopped as well, heads following his line of sight. Sticking out over one of the stable doors was a **large** dog's head, its fur fawn while its face was black. It breathed deeply as its tongue stuck out of its mouth, drool trickling down into a puddle beneath it. Its face and fur hung with saggy skin.

"... It looks like a dog." Goblin Slayer finally answered.

"A dog? That looks more like a bear!" Arthur said, raising a brow.

"Ah, I see you've spotted our latest addition! This is our recently bred Dire Mastiff!" The stable owner said, guiding them over to the horse sized dog. "We recently met an animal breeder that offered this one to us. I thought I'd take a chance and see who might be interested in such a beast."

"It's a mastiff..? But most mastiffs are much smaller, though still quite large…" Priestess said, walking up to the dog and reaching a hand out. She retreated somewhat when it looked at her, but approached once again. The dog sniffed her hand for a moment before leaning forward and licking her cheek. Priestess had a face full of saliva in repayment, but somehow giggled despite that. "He's so cute!" She said, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around its neck.

"This boy was bred between dire wolves and mastiffs. Several people have tried to use dire wolves as mounts, but more often than not, their wilder tendencies made them unreliable as riding beasts. So, the breeder decided to see what would happen if he could cross breed and see what he would come up with. So far, this is one of the best pups he's bred. Looks more like a mastiff than wolf, don't it?"

"Sure. It don't even got the fur of one neither," Arthur nodded, mildly impressed. "Why bother doin' so much work for this, though?"

"Well, while mastiff's are reliable mounts for Rhea and Dwarves, they're still too small for regular sized people like us. He wanted a dog mount our size." Said the stable owner.

"What can it do over a horse?" Goblin Slayer asked, intrigued.

"Ah, a good deal of things! Having a dog mount means that you can track a target's scent, use it to keep watch and even have it fight alongside you if need be. And having a dire mastiff, you can count on it being able to kill quite a few monsters on its own!"

"I see. It does seem useful." Goblin Slayer put a hand to the chin of his helmet.

"How fast can this big boy run?" Arthur asked curiously.

"About as fast as a horse! It might have the look of a mastiff, but it's still got the bones of a dire wolf! You should see this thing fly! Now, it's certainly not as fast as something like the Warhorse, but not much is." The stable owner explained.

"Well… that certainly is an impressive bear, for sure," Arthur chuckled, turning back to the stable owner. "Alright, let's get back to the horses before he licks your face off."

"Um…" Arthur raised a brow when he looked back at Priestess. She was staring intently at the monster of a dog, holding its face between her hands. Her eyes glimmered innocently as she turned to Arthur. "Would… Would it be okay if I got… him?"

Arthur blinked. His head snapped over to Goblin Slayer before snapping back to Priestess. "Come again?"

"I… I would like to have him! If that's okay…" Priestess said, wringing her hands together as she got nervous. The dire mastiff leaned over her shoulder and licked her face, causing her to giggle again.

"You're serious? You want this big ol' bear of a dog as your ride?" Arthur asked, walking over to Priestess and the dog. It shifted its neck over to Arthur, causing him to jerk his head back in reaction. It then snuck in a quick lick, causing Arthur blinked in shock before wiping off a thick layer of saliva. "Jesus…"

"I-I just think that… that he's so adorable!" Priestess admitted, hugging her arms around its neck. "He's so big, and I feel like he could help us out so much!"

"He did describe some useful traits." Goblin Slayer suggested.

"Not you, too…" Arthur sighed, looking back at the dog. "Look, this big thing is… takin' care of a horse and a dog are very different things, you know?"

"Actually, mastiffs, and by extension this big fellow, are pretty independent creatures! They can be kept in a stable just as well as any horse. But in contrast, they're capable of cuddling up with their owner like any other dog."

"That thing wouldn't cuddle up with you, it'd swallow you whole." Arthur huffed, shaking his head.

"Please~, Mister Gunslinger? I think he would be a great mount to have!" Priestess exclaimed, hugging the dog's head to her own, making her look like a baby by comparison. The dog, someway or another, seemed to understand, giving Arthur the biggest puppy dog eyed look he'd ever seen.

"But he… but you…" Arthur smacked his lips, looking around at the other men for support, only for the stable owner to grin while Goblin Slayer stared silently. Arthur let out a long breath and ran a hand down his face.

"How much for the big monster?"

* * *

"A-Am I doing it right, Mister Gunslinger?"

Arthur had to pucker his lips as he tried not to laugh, smiling as he watched Priestess tentatively cling to her newly acquired mount. It was a sight to behold, seeing such a tiny framed girl riding on the massive back of the dire mastiff. It was just as amusing when they were walking through town, watching everyone's reaction. For once, it wasn't Goblin Slayer bringing in everyone's attention. Arthur was honestly looking forward to seeing the reactions of people at the guild soon enough.

"You're doin' just fine. Try to keep yourself upright, and don't feel too nervous. He'll feel how anxious you are. Though he certainly don't seem to notice…" Arthur advised, looking down at the surprisingly relaxed dog. It just stood there with its tongue hanging out, waiting for Priestess's command.

"Like this..?" Priestess asked, straightening her back as he feet moved frantically in their stirrups.

"Try to relax. He ain't goin' nowhere 'til you're ready. Grab hold of the reins and then the saddle horn. Until you're confident, you can hold onto that."

"Okay…" Priestess took hold of the horn, letting out a small breath of relief as she felt more secure. "You and Goblin Slayer make it look so easy…"

"It will be once you're used to it. We'll keep workin' on it and won't ride out for quests 'til you're ready." Arthur reassured, patting the neck of his newly acquired Warhorse.

"Okay… at least it gives me time to get to know Mastiff," Priestess said, smiling down at the dog as she rubbed the scruff of his neck.

"It's still strange to see you ridin' a dog, but… whatever works for you." Arthur chuckled, moving his horse forward. "Go ahead and hop off. We'll head back and see if Goblin Slayer snatched a job up for us."

"Okay." Priestess of course had to awkwardly struggled to pull herself down from Mastiff's back. Arthur reached over, helping her down from the dog's back. "Riding is hard…"

"You're thinkin' too hard on it. It'll get easier, believe me. Though I will say this is a first for both of us. Never thought I'd help you learn how to ride a dog," Arthur chuckled, grabbing Mastiff's reins and pulling him over to the post at the front of the guild, tying him to it.

"Maybe… I wonder what's taking Mister Goblin Slayer so long?" Priestess mumbled, the two walking inside the guild.

"Probably saw a goblin quest and left without sayin' somethin'," Arthur shrugged as the two walked inside. "It wouldn't surprise me much."

"Y-Yeah, I could see that happening…" Priestess said with a sheepish laugh.

"I believe his name was… Sir Goblin Slayer."

Arthur put a hand in front of Priestess, bringing them both to a halt. His hand reflexively hovered over his revolver, eyes darting up to the guild's front desk. He half expected to see a mercenary from the Ash Wolves. What he got instead was a very _unique_ sight. One consisting of a dwarf, an elf and a lizardman.

The dwarf was a shaman by the look of him, his short and stout body draped in a white robe and his aged white hair tied up in a top knot, with a long beard going down his chest. The elf had particularly long pointed ears, more so than any other elf Arthur had met up to this point. She wore a brown cloak over her shoulders with the hood down, the rest of her clothes hidden away. The lizardman was dressed in a strangely familiar fashion to Arthur, his clothes and headdress reminding him of a Native American chieftain. He had seen one or two lizardmen since coming to this world, but this was the first time he saw one dressed in such a way.

Arthur let his guard drop a bit, though he leaned a hand on the grip of his revolver cautiously as he walked over. As luck would have it, Goblin Slayer was standing at the quest board, likely looking for something and taking little notice of the strange group until hearing his name. He turned around, his helmet rising a bit to look at the lizardman.

"Yes?"

"Huh?" The elf blinked, raising a brow.

"Oh, so you were looking for Goblin Slayer! Well, you're in luck, as that's him right there," Guild Girl smiled, motioning to the armored man.

"It seems we are indeed!" The dwarf combed his hand across his beard. "A pleasure to meet you, Beard Cutter! Just the man we wished to speak with!"

"I'm telling you, it was Orc Bolg!" The elf huffed, crossing her arms as she sized up the armored man. "This is him? He doesn't look like much considering the stories…"

"... I'm Goblin Slayer."

"Forgive my companions, as your name has become somewhat construed as it has traveled around," the lizardman said, walking up and putting his fingers together. "I am Lizard Priest, and these are my companions High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sir Goblin Slayer." Now that they had turned to greet his partner, Arthur made a note of the fact that all three of them were wearing silver tags.

"I see. Did you need something?"

"Yes. If you would mind coming with us, we would like to speak with you about a possible quest we might need your help with." Lizard Priest explained.

"Where's your partner, Ae Feredir?" High Elf Archer asked before her eyes trailed to the side to see Arthur and Priestess watching them. "Oh, is that him?"

"I don't know someone named that." Goblin Slayer said before Arthur could interject.

"Ah, I think she means Loud Hunter." Dwarf Shaman pointed out.

"Loud? What's that supposed to mean?" Arthur clicked his tongue, walking up to join them. "I don't know about _loud,_ but I am the man's partner. You can call me Gunslinger."

"Ah, yes. You're the man we're looking for as well." a scaly smile spread across Lizard Priest's face, coming off as a somewhat friendly while also still intimidating. "If you would be so kind, we would like to speak with you and sir Goblin Slayer about a quest to partake in. Would you join us?"

"That depends. It pay well?" Arthur asked, his hands resting on his belt.

"Eh? That's your first question?" High Elf Archer blurted in shock.

"A man knows what he wants," Dwarf Shaman laughed. "And it does, Loud Hunter. It would be quite profitable for you and Beard Cutter."

"Well then, lead the way." Arthur smirked, motioning for the three to walk ahead. "And… just call me Gunslinger."

"You can use one of the meeting rooms upstairs, help yourselves," Guild Girl smiled, motioning toward the stairs. The five moved toward the steps with the strange party moving ahead of them. Arthur stopped after a moment, shooting a look back to see Priestess awkwardly standing by herself.

"What are you doin'? You comin' or what?" Arthur asked, causing Priestess to blink.

"O-Oh, is it okay for me to come..? They weren't really asking for all of us…" Priestess mumbled shyly.

"Hm? Is she with you guys?" High Elf Archer asked, peering past Goblin Slayer curiously.

"Yes. But you should rest." Goblin Slayer said, looking at Priestess. "You've been working hard."

"N-No, I'm fine. I would like to hear them out, too." Priestess asked, shuffling after them.

Arthur shared a look with Goblin Slayer, thinking over his suggestion. Priestess _had_ been working hard to keep up with them. It was part of why he decided to get her a mount. But looking back down at the young girl, Arthur saw a determined look in her eye, finding it hard to reject her. "If she wants to work, I ain't gonna stop her. Come on, you can sit in with us if you're really ready for a job."

"Okay!"

The six soon settled into one of the meeting rooms, the two parties sitting across from each other in a pair of couches.

"So… Goblin Slayer. You're really a silver rank adventurer?" High Elf Archer began, her eyes scrutinizing the armored man.

"The guild seems to think so."

"Your armor is so shoddy, though… most people your rank would have upgraded by now." She continued on. "It makes me question the guild's decision."

"What a great way to start a conversation. Especially with someone you came to lookin' for help." Arthur picked his boot up and struck a match, pulling out a cigarette and lighting one up. Priestess looked somewhat panicked, looking between Arthur and their guests.

"I want to make sure our help is actually worth the time," High Elf Archer huffed indignantly, squinting at him in annoyance as the smoke drifted around.

"Well then, perhaps you shouldn't be too quick to judge. While his armor might not look like much, it's easy to tell what kind of functionality it has," Dwarf Shaman interjected, smirking. "He wears plate armor and chainmail to protect vital areas but wears leather armor to be able to move around easier. The sword and shield might be small but they're easy to maneuver in tight spaces."

"Well, it wouldn't kill you to clean the armor, would it?"

"It's a precaution to cover the smell of metal. Goblins have a keen sense of smell." Goblin Slayer explained easily enough.

"What, you walk right past the goblin quests when gettin' that silver rank?" Arthur asked, shaking his head and leaning forward on his elbows. "It's dirty work, in case no one clued you in."

"Excuse me, ruby rank. I think my tag speaks enough for itself," High Elf Archer huffed indignantly, only causing Arthur to roll his eyes and lean back.

"That silver tag don't mean nothin' to me. Goblin Slayer ain't the only one I've worked with in silver rank. I know enough by now to tell when one of you's just a kid who always goes on big _heroic_ adventures."

"A kid? I'm 2,000 years old. How old are you exactly?"

"Old enough to know that you probably wasted 2,000 years never seein' what's really out there." Arthur shrugged, causing the elf to stiffen up and grit her teeth.

"M-Mister Gunslinger…" Priestess mumbled, tugging on his sleeve.

"Heh. Loud Hunter certainly has a quick tongue." Dwarf Shaman laughed.

"Why, you-"

"I believe that's enough discourse." Lizard Priest intervened, bowing his head politely to Arthur. "Please forgive my companion's outburst. We came here to ask for your help, and did not wish to offend."

Arthur looked up at Lizard Priest and sighed, raising his arms. "I ain't got no beef. So long as she don't."

High Elf Archer narrowed her eyes in annoyance before letting out a breath. "Sure. Sorry about that…"

"Thank you. Now, back to the task at hand. We would like to request your help."

"I'm sure you've all heard about the Demon King and his growing army, correct?"

"No." Arthur smirked at Goblin Slayer's quick response, which obviously annoyed the elf, though she continued on to her credit.

"Demon activity has been steadily increasing since the rise of the new Demon King, who's seeking to take over the world…"

"I see." High Elf Archer's brow twitched. Arthur exercised some self control to keep himself from laughing.

"That's why we came. We need somebody with your skills to help deal with-"

"Not interested." Goblin Slayer cut her off, causing her to tense up. He then looked at Arthur, who was smiling behind his hat. "Did you want to do this quest?"

Arthur looked up at him then back at the silver ranks before smirking. "How about I let you decide on this one." _I want the show to keep goin', after all._

"Okay. We're not interested, then."

"Wh-What?!" High Elf Archer glared back at Arthur, only for the cowboy to turn his head, failing to hide his amusement.

"M-Mister Goblin Slayer, we should at least consider it…" Priestess pleaded, shooting Arthur a scolding look as she picked up on what he was doing. Arthur not so innocently shrugged in response.

"Don't you understand what's at stake?! The entire world is in danger! Hordes of demons are gathering and will attack soon!" High Elf Archer finally snapped, slamming her hand on the desk between them.

"Yes. But before that, the goblins will destroy the villages. Someone else can save the world. I'll kill the goblins." Goblin Slayer dismissed, his answer only further infuriating the elf.

"How dare you!"

Dwarf Shaman was quick to grab HEA, keeping her from jumping over the table to get in his face. "Calm down, calm down! That's not why we came here in the first place, remember?!"

"Sir Goblin Slayer. We came to ask for your help in dealing with a goblin infestation." Lizard Priest explained.

"Okay, I'll help." High Elf Archer and Dwarf Shaman stared in shock at his quick 180. "How many goblins? Is it a horde? Do they have a shaman or hobgoblins?"

"What's with this guy..?" The elf mumbled, falling back into the couch.

"You see, you shoulda started with that. Everything else is nothin' but noise to him." Arthur chuckled, leaning forward and putting his cigarette out on his boot.

"Thanks for the help…" High Elf Archer huffed, glaring at Arthur.

"As my companion has said, the Demon King's rise has roused many of his armies around the world. The races of Man, Elf, Dwarf and my kind have come together in light of this building threat. We were chosen as the representatives of each race to help deal with such threats around the land." Lizard Priest went on to explain.

"And recently, on the border of Elven territory, a large horde of goblins have taken up refuge." Dwarf said this time.

"And they won't dispatch an army to deal with goblins." Goblin Slayer said immediately, grimmly aware of the negligence shown toward the goblin threat.

"Yes. Not only is it considered 'too small' of a threat, it also borders on human territory. While the alliance of races makes us allies, we're still not considered 'equals'. So to deal with the looming threat, we were dispatched. And out of everyone else, we've chosen you, Orc Bolg." High Elf Archer explained, having calmed down for the most part.

"I see. Have any Champions or Lords appeared?"

"Hm? Goblin 'champions'?"

"Yes. They would be the equivalent of goblin heroes. Champions would be their gold rank, and Lords would be their platinum." Goblin Slayer explained.

"I'm afraid we cannot answer that. At the moment, all we know is that there is a massive horde gathered and must be dealt with." Lizard Priest shook his head.

"I see. Do you have a map?"

"Right here." Goblin Slayer took the map from Lizard Priest, giving it a once over before standing up.

"We'll leave immediately. Do you need to make any preparations?" Goblin Slayer asked, his question directed at Arthur.

"We'll prolly' need to grab some provisions for the trip. Other than that, no." Arthur shook his head, standing up and looking at the map over his shoulder. "Looks like we got a bit of a ride."

"I-I'll go and fetch my things! Should we bring Mastiff?" Priestess asked, standing up along with them.

"Might be good to, even if he's just walking along with the wagon. You'll need to get closer with him, anyway," Arthur nodded.

"Alright. I'll go and check my own inventory, then." Goblin Slayer rolled up the map before stuffing it away and leaving. "You all can decide how much to pay us."

"W-Wait!" High Elf Archer protested, just a tad too late as Goblin Slayer closed the door behind him. She shifted her gaze back up to Arthur who just chuckled. "Does he think it's only you three going?"

"Probably. We're honestly the only people who are actually up for huntin' goblins with him." Arthur shrugged, walking toward the door with Priestess. "If you're comin', you're gonna have to keep up. Hard to keep that man in one spot when he knows where to go."

"I-It'll be a pleasure working with you all!" Priestess quickly bowed before following Arthur out.

"We'll be swift, do not worry." Lizard Priest nodded, he and his party watching as Arthur and Priestess took their leave.

"Quite an interesting bunch, aren't they?" Dwarf Shaman laughed.

"'Interesting' isn't the word I'd use. Strange, more like it." High Elf Archer sighed.

"I'm sure quite a few think that seeing us together," Lizard Priest chuckled before motioning a hand. "Come. As sir Gunslinger said, we must be able to keep up."

 **To be continued…**

 **Sorry for the short chapter. The last was obviously much longer, but this one was taking too long and probably wouldn't get to a stopping point that I would have been happy with.**

 **So, as you guys can see, we've finally introduced the rest of the party. It'll be interesting to have Arthur interact with this group now that they're here. Though admittedly, his responses to HEA (which after this chapter will likely be how her name is abbreviated) were a bit difficult. It was hard to find a balance between snarky and mean, which Arthur likes to teeter on quite a bit as we all know lol**

 **And we have another addition to this group: Mastiff! I found out some time ago that in D &D, you can actually have a mastiff as a mount for small folk! I was also in the process of getting a new pup, so the prospect excited me and made me want to add that little idea to the story! Of course, it would have to go to Priestess, making her look tiny since it's a crossbreed giant lol**

 **Anyways, I hope you all liked it despite how short. Please leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind! And hey, check out the TVTropes page while you're at it and even add a bit!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I own neither Red Dead Redemption 2 or Goblin Slayer**

Chapter 9

"... How can she ride such a thing..?"

High Elf Archer stared out the back of their transport carriage, watching as the petite and frail looking Priestess rode slowly behind them on Mastiff's back. Arthur suggested that, as part of her practice, she rides the giant dog until they make camp. For the first hour, Priestess had trouble balancing and keeping up. But as time went on, she was able to figure out the trick to remaining calm and keeping herself steady. That didn't lessen any of the shock HEA and her companions felt as they watched Priestess slowly master the art of riding her mount.

"You're doin' good! Whenever you're ready to take a break, let me know." Arthur called out, smiling as he sat at the edge of the back across from HEA, arm leaning on the edge of the back.

"Your group is full of oddities. I daresay more so than our own," Dwarf Shaman laughed.

"I've heard of certain beasts being used as mounts. Seeing such a petite young woman ride such a large beast is a sight to behold," Lizard Priest stroked his chin in interest.

"Hey, she wanted the big guy. I was plannin' to get her a horse." Arthur shrugged.

"I'm ready. We've been going for a while," Priestess called out, approaching the back of the wagon slowly. Arthur stood up and reached forward, picking Priestess up under her arms almost like a child and foisting her up. After setting her down, Arthur tied the reins to the back.

"We should set up camp soon. It's getting dark." Goblin Slayer noted.

"Yeah. The big fellow will be alright 'til then." Arthur nodded, sitting back down. Priestess sat next to Goblin Slayer, leaning on him tiredly.

"So… is he friendly?" HEA asked, her eye twitching as she slowly extended a shaky hand toward Mastiff. She retreated when the massive dog looked right at her, its giant head leaning into the carriage. "He-Hey! Don't-" And slobbered its giant tongue across her face. "AGH!"

"Looks like our big boy likes you!" Arthur laughed, reaching out and petting the dog's head. "Who's a good boy?"

"Isn't he the most adorable thing?" Priestess said, her expression glowing as she looked at her mount with pride.

"S-Sure…" the elf said as she wiped the saliva from her face.

"We're pulling off the path! There's a good spot for you lot to set up camp!" The wagon driver announced from the front. As dusk arrived, the group soon left the wagon and made camp next to several gathered logs, likely left behind by other adventurers in the past. As the two moons illuminated the night, the group set up a fire and started a hot pot of soup. Strangely enough, Arthur set up a smaller pot to the side with a small pit of fire on its own, though he kept what was inside lidded.

"So, why did you all become adventurers?" High Elf Archer asked, looking at her companions curiously.

"For the glorious food, of course." Dwarf Shaman smiled as Lizard Priest handed him and Arthur a meat skewer. "What about you?"

"I wanted to see the outside world, and everything it-"

"This is delicious!"

"Hey! I'm talking here!"

"This is pretty damn good…" Arthur nodded, chewing on a piece himself.

"I'm most pleased to hear you like it." Lizard Priest gave a sharp toothed smile that was somewhat intimidating. "It is made from a swamp creature."

"Like an alligator?" Arthur asked curiously, taking another bite.

"Correct! Are you familiar with this meat, Mister Gunslinger?"

"I've hunted a few. Almost been eaten by a few, too." Arthur chuckled, taking another bite. "Good meat if you cook it right. Thanks."

"Ugh. That doesn't look appetizing to me…" HEA stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"A sheltered elf like yourself wouldn't know the glories of fire roasted meats, would you? A shame," Dwarf Shaman chuckled, causing her to click her tongue in irritation.

"Don't worry, there's plenty of soup to eat, instead." Priestess offered with a kind smile. The petite young woman was currently leaning back against Mastiff, who wrapped around her like a mother dog to its pup, laying on its side. Priestess had to maneuver quite a bit to escape his furry embrace to pour a bowl.

"Oh, thanks!" HEA took the bowl and sipped on the broth, letting out a content sigh. "Delicious!"

"As for my own reasons, I became an adventurer so that I may raise my status by rooting out heresy, with the hopes of becoming a dragon." Lizard Priest declared, bringing the topic back to HEA's question.

"Oh, I see." Priestess nodded in understanding.

"You can become a dragon?" Arthur asked incredulously.

"It is more of a title than a true transformation. Though I will indeed grow in stature due to such a change."

"Huh. Guess you learn somethin' different all the time."

"Well, Gunslinger? What about you?" HEA asked, crossing her arms as she regarded him curiously. "Why'd you become an adventurer?"

Arthur scratched at his beard, looking down at the fire in thought. "I guess it was 'cause I'm only good at a few things. Bein' an adventurer was the most honest way of puttin' 'em to use."

"'Honest'?" HEA repeated in wonder, looking at her companions in question.

"That's the nice way of puttin' it. Best to leave it at that." Arthur said, giving a wry smile.

"If you say so…" HEA mumbled, scratching her head in thought. All attention then shifted to the final member of the group, Goblin Slayer sitting silently next to Lizard Priest.

"Goblins."

"Yeah, I guess we all figured that one." HEA sighed as everyone else gave a sheepish chuckle.

"The soup was delicious, thank you. In return, I'll give you my own special treat," HEA reached into her satchel and produced a small leaf wrap. Unwinding it, HEA produced several square bread loaves, offering one to Priestess. "Elven traveling rations, or lembas bread. We aren't supposed to share them with others, but this is a special occasion."

"Oh, thank you!" Priestess took a square, nibbling at the corner before her face lit up. "Oh, wow! It's so good!"

"Happy to hear!" HEA winked at her.

"If we're exchanging offerings, I suppose I'll contribute as well." Dwarf Shaman spoke up, pulling a jug out from behind him. "A special brew of my kind! We call it fire wine!"

"Fire wine?" HEA tilted her head curiously.

"Ah, that stuff. Only heard about it, but never tasted any." Arthur said, perking up in interest.

"Surely someone of your advanced age and maturity has had a sip or two of drink before?" Dwarf Shaman sneered as he held the jug out to High Elf Archer.

"I'd be careful with that. It might not be a good idea to be drinkin' somethin' so strong right before we hunt in the mornin'. Especially someone small as you." Arthur smirked, deciding to egg on the elf.

"Why you-who do you all think you're talking to?! I can handle a drink just fine! Give it here!" HEA snatched the ladelle from Dwarf Shaman and fished up a good amount of wine before taking a drink. Her face immediately turned red, dropping the ladelle as her breath caught in her throat. After several seconds, she finally coughed, holding her neck as she hunched over.

"Would you like some water?" Priestess asked in concern, all the while Arthur and Dwarf Shaman bellowed with laughter.

"Come on, Loud Hunter! Beard Cutter! Take a drink for yourselves!" Dwarf Shaman offered, holding the jug out.

"Well, I guess if the lil' lady did." Arthur chuckled, scooping out some of the drink with a tin cup. He took a quick swig before gasping, eyes blowing up in shock. "Je~sus! No wonder she's practically dyin'! That's some strong stuff!"

"Only the strongest from the dwarves!" the shaman laughed as Goblin Slayer silently sipped from the ladelle.

"I-I'll have you _know_ that I was not dying!" HEA hissed out drunkenly, pointing an accusing finger at Arthur. Her face was red and her movements were obviously unbalanced. "I am in tip-top shape!"

Arthur raised a brow, setting his cup down. "That brew hit her real quick, huh? Guess I'm not surprised."

"Y-You don't know what you're talkin' about!" HEA huffed, sticking her finger closer to his face. "I could shoot an apple off yer head with muh eyes closed!"

"I'll have to pass on that idea."

"F-Fine! Be that way!" HEA grumbled, falling over in place. She quickly scrambled on all fours, crawling around the logs over to Goblin Slayer. "And you! Why dun' you at least take yer helmet off! We're eatin' here!" She drunkenly clawed at his helmet, forcing Goblin Slayer into an awkward position.

"In case of an ambush. I don't want to get hit in the head and knocked out." Goblin Slayer answered, sounding unusually restrained.

"Thass so lame~! Come on, you an' Al Federear gotta give somethin' too!" HEA said, occasionally giggling for no reason.

"Well, what I can offer is more for whoever stands watch tonight. But if y'all wanna try, go ahead." Arthur said, reaching over to the pot he had cooking. He opened the lid, revealing a dark liquid inside, pouring a cup. "Any of you had coffee before?"

"Coffee? You mean those little black beans?" Dwarf Shaman raised a brow. "I've never tried a brew made from it."

"It's good stuff. Once you get used to it, of course. It'll keep you up and alert when you need it. Guild Girl fell in love almost immediately." Arthur said, pouring a cup of coffee and handing some out. "You can put milk in it for taste, but I don't got any on me."

Arthur had come across a merchant selling coffee beans for cheap. It seemed that the people of the land had yet to discover their use aside from chewing them, which Arthur was quick to do. He ended up popularizing it in town, and worked out a deal with some of the shop owners in town to brew some for customers and sell it. It was looking to be another successful business venture like he had done with pencils.

"Oh, oh, oh! Is it sweet? I want some!" HEA said, hopping on top of Mastiff and leaning over his head. To the dog's credit, it had reacted as if she weren't there, in fact turning its head to Arthur so that she was facing him.

"It's bitter. I doubt you'll like it. But it might help get your head clear after that drink." Arthur chuckled. "But get off the dog before you do. I don't want you spillin' on him and causin' a wild bear attack."

HEA puckered her lips for a moment before huffing and digging her face into Mastiff's fur. "No! He's too cuddly. Keep your coffee!"

"I'm sure you'll get plenty in the mornin' anyway." Arthur chuckled before taking a sip from his own cup.

"It certainly does have a bitter flavor to it. But the aftertaste isn't so bad…" Dwarf Shaman noted, stroking his chin in interest.

"The aroma is intoxicating despite the differing flavor. It makes the brew strangely appetizing." Lizard Priest said, sipping from his cup.

"I used to not like it much, but it really does help when you're tired. I would drink a few cups when we would go on quests periodically." Priestess admitted, scratching the back of her head.

"Sorry for pushing you…" Goblin Slayer said somewhat shamefully.

"Hey! It's your turn to give something, Goblin Slayer! Your turn!" HEA said, perking her chin up on the dog's head again. Goblin Slayer was silent for a moment before fishing into his bag, producing a wheel of cheese wrapped in cloth and unveiling it for the others.

"Will this do?"

"Whatever is that?" Lizard Priest blinked in interest, hovering over the block.

"Cheese. It's made from fermented cow or goat's milk, then hardened."

"You've never heard of cheese, Scaly?" Dwarf Shaman asked in disbelief.

"My people hunt livestock. We do not raise any of our own, so products like this are unknown to us." Lizard Priest explained, picking up the cheese wheel by the cloth and inspecting it with great care.

"If you've got anymore of that meat left, you should try meltin' some and puttin' it on top. Cheese makes for a helluva toppin'." Arthur said, causing Lizard Priest to raise a scaly brow in wonder. "But melt it a little first, then eat it."

"Oh! Oh! Lemme cut it! I-agh!" the drunken elf fell with little grace from the dog's back, hitting the grass with a plop. She popped back up in a hurry, holding up a dagger and grinning. "I'll cut it real good!"

"Careful not to cut yourself…" Arthur muttered, somewhat worried that the drunk was wielding a knife so freely.

"I'm fine! Shhh! Shhh!" HEA hushed him, causing Arthur to chuckle and raise his hands in surrender. Surprisingly enough, she cut the cheese into fine, even slices for everyone to take.

Lizard Priest stuck the end of his cheese slice and melted it over the fire, allowing it to cook until it oozed enough to almost fall off. He quickly took a bite before it could. His expression lit up immediately, his tail flailing behind him in excitement. "Sweet NECTAR~! This is surely the nectar of the gods!"

"I think the big guy liked it."

"Why, this is quite the quality cheese!" Dwarf Shaman complimented as he and the others began to eat their own.

"This cheese comes from that farm you live on, right?" Priestess asked.

"Yes."

"It's wonderful!"

"Good." Goblin Slayer turned his head slightly. "Don't touch." A drunken HEA flinched as she was caught in the act of creeping behind Goblin Slayer, reaching for something in his satchel. "It's dangerous."

"I just wanted a peek…" She whined, looking away from him with a pout.

"Not a good idea."

"Someone needs to go to sleep already." Arthur sighed, pushing off his seat and going over to HEA.

"Oh, come on~! I'm fine!" HEA complained as she childishly waved her arms as Arthur picked her up. She was surprisingly light in his grip, he noted. "I've never seen a magic scroll before! I'm curious!"

"Magic scrolls are highly dangerous items, containing magic long lost to us. They require no skill to wield. Unravel it and it shall cast itself." Lizard Priest noted with interest.

"More often than not, parties will rely on their own magic and sell scrolls to collectors rather than use them." Dwarf Shaman added.

"Well, at least tell me what spell's in it!" HEA groused as Arthur set her down against Mastiff, allowing herself to fall into the comfortable fur of the now sleeping behemoth.

"No."

"Why not?!"

"What if you're captured and tell the goblins?"

"That's stupid…" HEA mumbled, digging her face into the fur. "You just don't like me, do you?!"

"I'm not particular."

"Hmph! Whatever…" HEA spread her arms out, vainly attempting to wrap around Mastiff's body. "You like me at least, right giant dog?" Mastiff was still out cold of course, eliciting a giggle from HEA. "Of course you do…"

"Remind me to get her drunk again if you guys hang around." Arthur laughed next to Dwarf Shaman.

"Yes, she isn't such a hassle to be around when she's quite drunk, eh?"

"I heard that, you cave dweller!" She lifted her head to retaliate before falling back into the fur.

"By the way, there is something that I've longed to know." Lizard Priest spoke up, bringing their attention to him. "Where is it that goblins come from exactly? I was taught that they come from a kingdom deep underground."

"When I was young, the Sisters at the orphanage would tell us that if you misbehave, a goblin appears." Priestess said this time.

"Huh? Are you serious?" HEA lifted her head up to look at Priestess in disbelief.

"Sounds like somethin' to keep kids from actin' up." Arthur pointed out.

"Pretty much. Kids won't misbehave if they think it'll create a goblin."

"If that were true, I'd have made enough to flood the country." Arthur laughed.

"I heard…" eyes moved to Goblin Slayer, as the stoic adventurer spoke without being addressed for once. "I heard that goblins come from the moon."

"The moon? One of the ones above us?" Lizard Priest asked curiously.

"Yes. The green moon. On that moon, there are no trees or water or food. It is a baron place, which makes the goblins envy us. They grew jealous because we have what they don't."

"Does… that mean shooting stars are goblins?" HEA asked in mild interest, propping herself up to look at him.

"I'm not sure. But what I do know is that when you become jealous of someone, you become like a goblin."

"Who told you all this?" Priestess asked.

"My older sister."

"You have an older-" Arthur put a hand on Priestess's shoulder, shaking his head.

"Had." Goblin Slayer answered regardless. "I had an older sister."

 _Well. That's one clue as to why he's like that._ Arthur thought as he watched Goblin Slayer gaze up at the green moon.

"I'm not sure if it's true… all I know for sure is that my sister never made mistakes."

A quiet spell passed over them, Goblin Slayer's head only drooping over a bit. Arthur raised a brow before standing up and pushing his shoulder. "Looks like he fell asleep."

"Ah, so the fire wine finally kicked in, eh?" Dwarf Shaman chuckled.

"Perhaps this is a good time for us all to rest. We have a long day ahead of us." Lizard Priest suggested, standing from his seat. "We can take turns keeping watch."

"I'll take first watch." Arthur offered, standing up from his seat and picking up his pot. "Might as well put this coffee to use, after all."

"Thank you, Mister Gunslinger." Priestess smiled before going over to Goblin Slayer and draping a blanket over his shoulders. She trailed her hand to his chest plate, looking back at Arthur in concen. "His sister… was she…?"

"Probably. I haven't asked myself, but… some things are best left unanswered." Arthur answered with a grim expression. "Come on. Get yourself to sleep."

Priestess nodded silently, pulling away from Goblin Slayer and joining HEA to cuddle into Mastiff's fur. Arthur took a seat next to Goblin Slayer, lighting a cigarette as his eyes drifting up to the green moon.

* * *

The sun dipped over the mountains in the distance, the orange of a sunset grazing over the open country. Just below a hill hidden from that sun, a brick built entrance stood, guarded by two goblins and a small wolf. The goblins stood boredly as they watched the dull trees and land ahead of them, nothing of note catching their eye. But as they fought their own desire to sleep, a small glint in the air caught one's eye. But as it looked up to see, the goblin soon found its head pierced through the side, an arrow driving right through it and then through the goblin next to it. The wolf stood up, ready to howl, only for another arrow to pierce through its skull.

"That was amazing…"

With the cave's watch dead, the party of six and Mastiff came out from the foliage, High Elf Archer raising her head proudly as they approached the entrance.

"Truly splendid. Was that some form of magic?" Lizard Priest inquired.

"I know that it can be hard to tell the difference between magic and mastered techniques." HEA smiled as she put her hands on her hips.

"I'm not fully convinced this ain't magic." Arthur stroked his chin, causing the elf to glare at his back. "An arrow can barely go through one person. Goblins are small, sure, but they ain't _that_ flimsy."

"Perhaps you just don't know high skill archery like I do?" HEA huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If you say so." Arthur shrugged, knowing not to question too many of the things that happen in this world. He knelt down next to one of the bodies while Goblin Slayer did the same, both pulling out knives and cutting into their guts.

"H-Hey! What are you two doing?!"

"Goblins are sensitive to smells. Especially women, children, and elves." Goblin Slayer explained, soaking a rag in the goblin's blood.

"Hey, you can put yours on Priestess. I'll give the elf her shower," Arthur smirked deviously, making sure to seep his own rag deep into the goblins blood and only squeezing out a little.

"Okay."

"W-Wait! You can't be serious!" HEA recoiled from them, turning to Priestess for help. "M-Make them stop!"

"You get used to it." Priestess said with a wry smile, her eyes blank as painful acceptance stretched across her face.

"N-No way…"

"Now, hold still, lil' lady. It'll only stink for the rest of the day." Arthur chuckled as he held the rag above her head.

"Don't you da-" Arthur squeezed the rag, blood seeping down HEA's head and body, causing her to squirm in disgust. "Gods, why?!"

"Normally I'd make a joke, but… even I must be sympathetic to this case," Dwarf Shaman grimaced as he watched.

"Perhaps keep reminding yourself that it's for the good of the party. We do not wish to alert the goblins of our presence through a small mistake being unprepared." Lizard Priest supplied.

"It doesn't help~," HEA whined as she plugged her nose. "And it reeks!"

"Don't worry, lil' lady! It doesn't quite stain like regular blood if that helps." Arthur tossed the rag aside, wiping what blood was left on his hands on her shoulders. "I think we're ready now."

"Okay. Let's go." Goblin Slayer turned to look at Mastiff. "He should stay here. He'll take up too much space in the tunnel."

"True enough. While a likely good companion in a more open area to fight and hunt, Mastiff might make it difficult to maneuver in a tight space with the party." Lizard Priest agreed.

"Oh, I see… that's too bad," Priestess frowned, walking up to Mastiff and putting her hands on its gigantic face. "I need you to stay and guard the tunnel entrance, okay? Don't let any goblins get away."

Mastiff licked her face despite the blood, sitting patiently like an alert guard dog at the edge of the entrance.

"Thank you, Mastiff. We'll be back." Priestess smiled before moving to join Goblin Slayer.

"Good boy." Arthur walked up and scratched the dog's ear a bit before the group proceeded forward, Goblin Slayer leading the way with a torch. Unlike most of the caves and mines that goblins occupied, this one was paved with stone walls and tiled floor. Across the surface were old faded paintings, depicting some sort of battle between monsters and people.

"This ruin is quite ancient. It might have been a shrine once." Lizard Priest commented in interest.

"It looks like some kind of battle took place here during the age of the gods. It might have even been a fortress…" Priestess muttered, tracing her fingers across the painting. "Whatever the case, this place was definitely made by humans."

"And now the goblins have taken up refuge here in their place after it was abandoned. What a terrible joke."

"Ugh…" HEA grumbled from the back, breaking the tense atmosphere with her squirming. "It feels so gross…"

"You okay there, elf?" Dwarf Shaman asked, retracting hi hand after briefly thinking of patting her shoulder.

"No, of course not!" HEA snapped, trembling with anger and stomping up to Arthur and Goblin Slayer. "Don't think I'll forget this after we're done here!"

"Understood."

"I'm sure you'll remember the smell plenty." Arthur teased, causing HEA to let out a frustrated grunt before stomping past them.

"Stop it, Mister Gunslinger," Priestess scolded, nudging Arthur in the side.

"Ah, come on now. I'm just havin' a little fun." Arthur didn't bother to hide the smirk on his face, only letting it drop as the blonde continued to stare at him with a puffy cheeked glare. "Oh, alright. I'll save it for after."

"Wait!" HEA called back, causing the party to stop dead in their tracks. She immediately stooped low to the ground, her eyes narrowed critically.

"Is it an alarm?" Goblin Slayer asked.

"I think so… I only noticed it because it's fairly new." HEA explained, her eyes scanning the ground as she noted the kicked up dirt around one of the tiles.

"Those little monsters. This place could be crawling with traps." Dwarf Shaman cursed, stroking his beard in thought.

"Strange…" Goblin Slayer's helmet shifted slightly. "There are no totems around."

"What does that mean?" Dwarf Shaman asked.

"Oh, that there are no goblin shamans around." Priestess explained, well informed on the subject by now.

"That's good, then! We won't have to worry about spells flying around!" HEA said positively.

"Maybe, but maybe not." Arthur said, spitting to the side as he scratched the scruff of his chin. "Goblins without a shaman are usually too dumb to set traps. They only do that when one's around to tell 'em what to do."

"Exactly." Goblin Slayer nodded.

"So then… someone or something else is leading them?" Dwarf Shaman asked in minor disbelief.

"It's safe to assume so."

"I've heard many tales about the large nests you've bravely destroyed in the past," said Lizard Priest. "What would be your typical approach in eliminating them?"

"Burning them has been the preferred way since partnering with Gunslinger." Goblin Slayer stated, Arthur nodding casually along with him. "In some cases we'll smoke them out and eliminate them one by one. Forcing them into a river and drowning them is another way. There are many options. But those won't work now. Are there any tracks?"

HEA blinked as she was addressed, having stared at the two in a mixture of disgust and disbelief. Getting back to business, HEA turned back around to look at the marks. "It's hard to say. The floor is too smooth to tell."

"Allow me…" Dwarf Shaman knelt down, inspecting the floor. "Their hideout is to the left."

"How can you tell?"

"The floor is more worn in this direction. It looks as if they typically go left, then right, then left again. It's the far more treaded path." Dwarf Shaman elaborated skillfully, standing at full length.

"What do you suggest, sir Goblin Slayer?"

Goblin Slayer looked at Arthur, who shared a grave look of understanding. "We go right."

"Uh, didn't you just hear him say their hideout is left?" HEA asked in wonder.

"Yes. But if we go now, it'll be too late to go back." Goblin Slayer said, moving to the right without another word.

"Huh?"

"You'll understand soon enough." Arthur said, drawing his axe from his hip as he followed close after. The others hesitated for a moment before quickly catching up, trailing behind the two closely. As they continued down the path, a vile stench filled the air. It was potent enough to make their noses crinkle in pain, Lizard Priest putting both hands over his snout.

"What is that repulsive smell?!" Dwarf Shaman blurted out.

"It reeks worse than the blood!" HEA grit her teeth. Looking to the side, HEA could see an instinctual fear overcome Priestess as opposed to reacting just to the smell. _What's wrong with her?_

"It's okay. Don't think about it, just be ready." Arthur said to Priestess, gently gripping her shoulder in comfort as she trembled. Arthur pulled the bandana on his neck over his nose, his hand tightening over the grip of his axe.

"Breath through your nose. You'll get used to it." Goblin Slayer advised, stepping up to a door wooden door to their right before kicking it in. The stench became more pronounced, causing the newest members of the party to cover their noses.

"What _is_ this place?!"

"A goblin waste heap." Goblin Slayer said.

"Watch your step here." Arthur advised, absent of humor. Goblin Slayer raised his torch as he neared the center of the room, a figure being made evident in the shadows. Much to their horror, a blonde elf woman was revealed, her body naked and covered in gashes and bruises from torture. HEA's reaction was instant, barfing into her hand as the sight overwhelmed her.

"By the gods…" Dwarf Shaman mumbled in dread.

"Poor miserable soul…" said Lizard Priest.

"P-Please… you have to…" a weak voice echoed, causing Priestess and HEA to inhale a breath.

"She's still alive!"

"Quick, a miracle!"

"Wait." Arthur held out a hand, stopping her short.

"W-What?! Why?!" Priestess asked pensively.

"Please… you… you must kill…" The girl uttered out weakly.

"I understand." Goblin slayer gripped his sword tight in hand.

"You got it?" Arthur asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yeah."

"W-Wait! She can still be helped!" Priestess cried out urgently.

"Don't do it!" HEA shrieked.

Goblin Slayer didn't bother to heed either of their pleas, dashing forward with his sword raised. Just as the girls prepared to cry out, a small blade flickered in the darkness below the elf.

"Please… kill this monster!"

A goblin burst from the shadows, a knife in hand. What little good it did it as Goblin Slayer sunk his short sword right into its skull. Priestess and HEA widened their eyes, watching as the armored adventurer drew his blade back from it.

"Three." He announced, flicking blood off his blade. "I don't know what you were all thinking, but I only came here to kill goblins."

"Have a little faith in us," Arthur said, moving past Goblin Slayer and working at the chains holding her up.

"Kill… kill them all…" the woman muttered, unable to lift her head to look at them.

"Of course." was Goblin Slayer's answer as he sheathed his sword.

* * *

" _O, horns and claws of the father, Iguanodon, be four limbs and walk upon this earth with two legs... "_

Arthur had to admit that Lizard Priest was still the most mysterious member in the party to him. He had never seen a faith based Lizardman before. And to see one of his miracles bring a few claws to life as a full sized, walking skeletal figure was quite the sight.

"A miracle of my ancestors. A dragontooth warrior." Lizard Priest explained, looking at Arthur.

"That was quite a sight. Never seen nothin' like that before. At least not from someone on my side." Arthur admitted.

"Here. I wrote a letter explaining everything." Priestess said, holding up a piece of parchment. Lizard Priest took it, ordering his summon to take the elf out.

"My dragontooth warrior will get her to the Elf Forest safely. Arthur's eyes followed the skeleton as it ran out, feeling some relief to know that she might make it, _And we won't have to go back ourselves. Hopefully Mastiff don't try and take a bone._

"What the hell is going on?! I don't understand!"

Arthur craned his head back, looking to see the party's ranger curled up against the wall, wiping her eyes of tears. The cowboy sighed, feeling some sympathy for the elf. Even though Arthur was used to the brutal sight they saw, he knew it wasn't something you simply stomach with time. He still felt disgust every time. Arthur had simply gotten better at hiding it.

"Sorry if this ain't your ideal 'adventure'. But now you got a better idea of what's out there." Arthur said, his voice grave but not harsh. "Goblins do some mighty terrible things for bein' small."

"Mister Gunslinger!" Priestess whispered harshly.

"It's better she know now rather than later." Arthur dismissed her gaze. "That's just the reality of it."

"I've found it."

Arthur drew his gaze up to Goblin Slayer as he came back out from the room, a bag in his hand.

"What'd you find?"

"A map of the ruin. It was in a rucksack. It was likely the elf's bag." Goblin Slayer explained, pulling out a rolled up parchment and tossing the bag in front of HEA.

"Anything worth knowin'?" Arthur asked, walking up alongside him.

"Yes. The left was indeed the way toward their hideout. We have some ways to go, though." Goblin Slayer held the map up for them both to look at.

"So you didn't believe me?" Dwarf Shaman scoffed.

"I did. But the more information we have, the better." Goblin Slayer denied, causing the dwarf to grunt.

"He's just cautious like that. Don't mind him." Arthur chuckled before crouching down next to HEA. "Hey. I know that was rough, but we gotta get movin'."

"Mister Gunslinger, we can give her a little more-"

"No, he's right." Goblin Slayer dismissed, walking past them. "You can take the bag. We need to move."

"Both of you are-"

"It's alright." HEA's voice drew Arthur's attention to her, a look of fury in her eyes. "They're right. We need to go."

"Yes." Goblin Slayer nodded. "There are goblins to be slain."

HEA nodded in fierce determination, standing from her spot. "Okay!"

"Hey." Arthur gently grabbed her shoulder, HEA whipping her head back to look at him. "It's good to be angry enough to keep goin'. Makes it even easier to kill goblins. But don't let it get too much in your head."

"I'm fine." HEA pulled her shoulder away from Arthur, storming off after Goblin Slayer. Arthur clenched his jaw, looking at Priestess briefly. The blonde looked concerned of course, but neither knew what to say. There wasn't much to say really, so they decided to just push forward from there.

Arthur had to admit that he initially underestimated the size of the ruin. They wound up walking for several hours, much like one of the fortresses he and Goblin Slayer had infiltrated in the past. Though understandably, Arthur much preferred the usual fortress due to being above ground. They had briefly encountered several goblins along the way, HEA pushing herself quite a bit as she tried to take out the majority of goblins in their path.

But Arthur quickly caught on to her exhaustion. She was still shaken by earlier. While rage guided her arrows, it was overwhelming her. Her aim started to slip, and goblins nearly escaped to alarms when she would miss fatal shots. Arthur and Goblin Slayer were quick to rectify the mistake. It was at that time that they decided to take a break.

"How many miracles do we have left?" Goblin Slayer asked, a torch propped up on a stone to light the area they sat in. Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman sat across from him while Arthur leaned back against the stone wall, arms crossed and his hat tilted down over his face.

"I have three miracles left, but can only make one more of the dragontooth warrior." Lizard Priest explained, holding up the teeth used for his conjuring.

"I have about four or five miracles left myself," said Dwarf Shaman.

"I only used minor heal, so I have two miracles left." Priestess said, standing by HEA and giving her a flask of water. The elf greedily gulped down the contents.

"Don't drink too much. No more than a few sips." Goblin Slayer said, causing HEA to stop. "If you drink too much, it'll slow your blood flow and dull your movement."

"Mister Goblin Slayer! Can't you be more-"

"There's no need to act tough." Goblin Slayer spoke bluntly. "If you can come, come. If you can't, don't. It's as simple as that."

"But-"

"He's right." Arthur cut Priestess off, pushing up the brim of his hat. While he was more sympathetic, his expression remained stoney. "We don't wanna have her come along if she ain't good to keep goin'. We don't wanna lose people because they pushed too hard."

"I'm fine." HEA finally spoke, wiping off her lips before standing up. "I'll keep going. Besides, who will look out for traps and scout ahead if I don't?"

 _Technically I could, but I won't mention that._ Arthur smirked, pushing his hat up.

"We'll make do with what we have." Goblin Slayer said not so tactfully.

"Guh! You're so… There's no way I can go back!" HEA finally blurted out in frustration. "After what they did that elf… My home is near here…"

"I see." Goblin Slayer nodded, standing up. "Then let's go."

HEA clicked her tongue, glaring at Goblin Slayer sideways. "Don't get so worked up, long ears. You cause a commotion on enemy ground." HEA opened her mouth to retort until Arthur stood from his seat.

"He's right, lil' lady. You'll get too riled up by what happened and make a mistake." Arthur said, walking up to HEA. "I know I ain't your favorite person, and I haven't exactly made it easy. But just know that revenge is a fools game. It'll make you mad, and you'll do somethin' stupid 'cause of it."

"You want me to just forget what happened to that girl?!" HEA snapped in frustration.

"Not at all. I want you to keep from lettin' what happened to her from bein' what pushes you." Arthur explained, pointing a finger. "Don't look at what we're doin' as revenge for her. Look it at like we're keepin' anyone else from gettin' the same treatment."

The elf's eyes softened, allowing Arthur and Dwarf Shaman's words to process. She spared a look at Priestess and Lizard Priest, both giving encouraging smiles. She let out a sigh, letting the anger built up inside dissipate somewhat. "Alright… I hear you. I hate taking advice from a dwarf and a jerk, but… you're both right."

"Nice to know you have such a high opinion of me." Arthur chuckled, resting his hands on his belt.

"Sounds like you're back on your feet, long ears. Just know that goblins are dwarves' mortal enemy." Dwarf Shaman declared, grinning. "We'll make sure that everyone gets their just desserts!"

"Right. Let's go!"

* * *

The echoes of light snoring filled the large, round hall of the underground ruin. Goblins were sprawled out across the ground, each sleeping peacefully as they awaited any order from their leader. Despite gathering in support of the new Demon Lord, it seemed that they had a strange amount of down time. They were even able to catch a wandering elf in their ruin and make sport out of her. It seemed that they could rest without a worry of intrusion in such a large ruin, as well.

One of their many mistakes.

 _*PFFFFT*_

One of the goblins stirred from his sleep, slowly sitting up when he heard a strange sound above. He rubbed his eyes clear asa he noticed a thin veil of mist in the air. And on one of the spirals above, a stout dwarf stood, performing a strange dance.

" _Drink and sing, spirits! Sing, dance and sleep like a log! Show me dreams of fire wine~!"_

The goblin stared for a moment before opening his mouth to scream. His throat itched as no sound escaped his throat, causing him to gag as he looked up in confusion. Only to see a young woman standing on another ring.

" _O merciful Earth Mother, grant us the peace to accept all things!"_

The goblin continued to choke on its voice, only to be overwhelmed by a wave of drunkenness, falling to the ground asleep. With the reassurance that all of the goblins were fast asleep and unaware, Goblin Slayer lead the rest of the adventurers into the hall, each one brandishing a blade.

They quickly dispatched of any and all goblins in sight. HEA quickly took her blade to the first goblin she could, stabbing it repeatedly regardless of what life was left. She stopped after a fourth stab, looking at Arthur from the side. She remembered his words and tempered herself, taking a deep breath and moving on from the mutilated body in front of her and onto the next.

 _Don't let revenge drive you. Do it to keep others safe from it ever happening again._

Arthur spared HEA a glance as she moved onto another Goblin, her thrusts far less agitated as before. _At least she's willin' to learn._

From there, the miracle's affect soon wore off. But not before every goblin was dead, blood staining the floor. Priestess and Dwarf Shaman came down from the upper levels, but each party member remained quiet. Goblin Slayer motioned silently to a large door at the end of the hall, the six getting ready to check it for the leader.

 ***THUMP***

The party froze, the ruin shaking around them as they heard heavy footsteps from within. A small breeze blew from the door with each thud, causing them all to quickly get on guard. The thumping grew louder until an enormous figure stepped out from the door, a large tar black foot stomping into the ground.

"No way…" HEA swallowed a lump in her throat, quickly drawing an arrow and putting it in her bow. "An ogre!"

"Ah, hell…" Arthur cursed, quickly drawing his revolvers and taking aim.

"I thought those goblins were being awfully quiet." The ogre's voice boomed as he towered above them. The creature was well over thirty feet tall, with a large muscular body and a brown beard across its jaw. In one hand, it wielded a long rectangular steel club that could be confused for a pillar. "Pathetic. They don't even make good foot soldiers."

"Oh, so you're not a goblin." Goblin Slayer said, a slight bit of disappointment in his inflection.

"What?! No, that's an ogre! An ogre!" HEA snapped in frustration. "Have you never heard of one before?!"

"Once from Gunslinger."

"Yeah, I've fought one before. Ain't no fun, neither." Arthur sighed, spitting off to the side. "Just picture it as a giant goblin, and we should be fine."

"Okay."

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"You bastards! How dare you compare me to those insect goblins!" The ogre growled in irritation as he glared at Goblin Slayer. "I was given this army by one of the Demon Lord's generals! I will not be mocked!"

"I knew there were more powerful beings. But I only heard about you and the Demon Lord's generals recently." Goblin Slayer answered honestly, putting his shield up.

"GRAAGH!" The ogre slammed his club into the ground next to him, causing a small wave of air to shake the ruin. "Fine then, worm! If you wish to see my power, I will show you!" It raised its arm, a flame forming in its palm. _"Carbunlculus… Cresscunt... "_ It expanded in an instant, the ogre raising the raging flame over its head.

"A fireball is coming!" Dwarf Shaman screamed in fear.

"Scatter!" HEA suggested.

"Look at the size of that thing! Where would we go?!" Dwarf Shaman pointed out. Indeed, it was far too large to attempt to run, the flames likely to fill the entire floor when thrown.

"Guess this is where I come in." Arthur said, taking aim with both guns as sweat trailed down his brow. "You better cover those ears!"

"Huh?" HEA blinked, but followed his instrunction along with everyone else.

"What are you going to do, Sir Hunter?!" Lizard Priest asked in concern.

Arthur didn't answer. He focused, allowing the world around him to slow. He breathed out a long breath as steadied his hands. Once his targets were acquired, he fired both revolvers.

 ***BOOM BOOM***

In an instant, both eyes of the ogre exploded.

"GRAAAGH~!" It wailed in pain, losing focus of the magic as it brought both hands to its face. "What was that?! What did you do, you insect?!"

"Y-You shot his eyes… bu-but what are those things?!" HEA asked in alarm.

"Now ain't really the time to worry about it! He's gonna heal soon enough, so get movin' to higher ground!" Arthur waved his arm toward the upper level. "We gotta go for its head! That's the only way to kill it for sure!"

"Understood." Goblin Slayer nodded, looking back at Lizard Priest. "Create another dragontooth warrior. We'll need more support."

"Right away!" Lizard Priest threw the teeth onto the ground, conjuring his miracle and bringing them to life. He then produced another lone tooth, this time conjuring something else. _"O sickle wings of the velociraptor… slice, fly, and hunt!"_ the tooth soon morphed into a sickle blade, Lizard Priest picking it up and swinging it around.

"Shit, if I had my rifle, this coulda been quick…" Arthur cursed, stuffing his revolvers away and unslinging his shotgun. Considering that they had gone into an underground ruin, he had elected to bring his bow instead of his Rolling Block rifle. "We need to get 'em on his knees! I'll blow his brains out if I can get close enough to his head!"

"Understood! Sir Mage, Sir Goblin Slayer! Let us cut away at his legs!" Lizard Priest said, charging ahead of them and slashing at the ogre's legs with his sickle. Goblin Slayer quickly followed after him, slashing at the opposite leg with his short sword.

"You bastards… You think you can force me to my knee so easily?!" The Ogre roared, gripping his large club and swinging wide with it. Lizard Priest and Goblin Slayer narrowly avoided the club as it didn't swing with any accuracy in mind.

" _Time to work, you gnomes! Roll grains of sand together and they become rock!"_ Dwarf Shaman began to chant, tossing up a cloud of sand. The sand started to enlarge, each grain becoming large as small rocks. "Stone blast!" With a wave of his hand, the rocks shot out at the ogre, causing a small splash of dust as they shattered on impact. The ogre staggered back, eyes still covered as he tried to regain footing.

"What should I do?!" Priestess asked, sweat trailing down her face.

"Stay back! Save a miracle for when we really need it!" Arthur told her, taking aim with his shotgun and letting off several shots. Even though it plugged notable holes into the ogre's body, he watched as they soon healed, proving to only do minor damage in the long run.

"You damned human… You'll be made to suffer the longest!" The ogre snarled, pulling his hand away from his eyes to reveal that they were healed. Arthur attempted to aim at them again, only for the ogre to hold up his hand to block while the other reeled back for a swing. "I'll crush your lower half and let you live as the others are mutilated!"

"Ah, shit!" Arthur dove out of the way, narrowly avoiding the club. It still made a powerful impact, sending Arthur flying to the side and roll across the ground.

"Mister Gunslinger!" Priestess called to him in worry, rushing to his side.

"I said stay back!" Arthur shouted, gritting his teeth as he tried to regain his bearings.

"Hmph! Perhaps you don't have to die last…" The ogre cackled, holding his palm up as a flame formed in his palm again. "Take joy that you'll die with that girl in flames! Carbunculus.. _Crescunt…"_

"He's launching another fireball!" HEA warned, drawing an arrow and aiming for his eyes, only for the ogre to block her line of sight with his club.

"Run, Sir Hunter! Young Priestess!" Lizard Priest called out.

"Leave this to me!" Priestess said, quickly standing between Arthur and the ogre. _"O, merciful Earth Mother! Protect us, the weak, with the powers of the earth!"_

"Run, goddamn it!" Arthur said, pushing off the ground.

" _Iacta!"_

" _Protection!"_

As the ogre threw his fireball, Priestess created her barrier of light, stopping the blaze from reaching them. Her arms strained as she exerted her power with great difficulty, trying her best to hold out as the fireball pushed against the light. Arthur raised his gun to try and shoot through the barrier, but the fire was making it difficult to find his target. "It's barely holdin' out! Run while you can!"

"N-No! I'll… hold out!" Priestess grit her teeth, sweat beading down her face as her legs began to shake. "I won't… leave you…"

"Hah! You're going to fall soon enough, human! Burn with the other ant!" The ogre laughed, continuing his push against her light.

"Don't worry. It's over."

Arthur looked around when he heard Goblin Slayer's voice. Before he knew it, the flames that pushed against Priestess's barrier ceased. Instead, a blinding blue wave erupted through the air. Right through the ogre. Widening their eyes, the party watched as the ogre's body was cut into pieces, all the way up to its upper body. Before they knew it, the light faded. And as Arthur started to stand up, he felt water rush against the ground he stood on.

"Mister Goblin Slayer…" Priestess muttered, lowering her arms before falling back.

"Whoa there, lil' lady. I gotcha." Arthur said as he quickly caught Priestess in his arms. He looked back up to see Goblin Slayer walking up to the ogre's upper body, the monster still alive as it groaned in pain.

"W-What kind of… magic was that..?" The ogre asked in disbelief, looking up at Goblin Slayer as he approached with his sword drawn.

"A gate spell. I opened it to the bottom of the ocean." he explained simply. "I was planning to use it for a goblin nest. But this works fine, as well. So, you were an ogre, correct? Though I guess it doesn't matter now."

"That has to be the smartest idea I've ever heard to use on somethin' real small." Arthur chuckled, helping Priestess move forward with the others.

"Goblins?! You would have wasted such power against goblins?!" The ogre blanched in shock.

"Yes. Compared to goblins…" Goblin Slayer stepped on the ogre's head, his eye flashing red as he raised his blade. "You aren't very troublesome." Putting all his weight behind him, Goblin Slayer lodged his blade through the ogre's skull, the monster letting out one last blood curdling scream before dying out in the ruins.

* * *

"G-Good boy…"

 ***Grrrrrr***

Two elves stood on the outside of the ruin, both with arms raised as they tried to get past Mastiff. The gigantic dog remained in its seated position, but a low growl gurgled in its throat when they tried to get close.

"Mastiff. Down."

The dog's head spun back when a voice echoed from the entrance. Goblin Slayer was the first one out with the others trailing close behind. Mastiff quickly trotted over to Priestess, the petite girl smiling as she leaned into the large dog.

"A-Ah, hello dear adventurers! We thought he might be yours," the first elf greeted with an uneasy laugh. "We got your message and came as quick as possible! Tell us, are there any goblins lef-" he was swiftly ignored as the adventurers walked by him, moving toward one of the carts. The only one to acknowledge him was Arthur, who patted him on the shoulder as he passed. Though he still failed to say a word to him. They quietly climbed into the back, Priestess even ushering for Mastiff to jump in with them. The dog's weight made the cart creak, but he soon made his seat at the very back where Priestess could snuggle against him.

"Well then… you all get some rest back here. We're going to scout out the fortress for a moment and make sure all is well."

"Don't waste your time. They're dead." Arthur finally spoke, leaning back against the wood and placing his hat over his face.

"O-Oh. Alright then… I suppose we'll just head off."

The wagon finally began to move, the adventurers all soon falling asleep in their seats. Mastiff curled his body around Priestess as the petite blonde laid back and prepared to sleep.

"Hey…" HEA spoke before she could, the blonde turning her head to look at the elf. "Does he always do stuff like that?"

"Yes. He's always like that." Priestess admitted with a sheepish smile. "And Mister Gunslinger can sometimes encourage him."

"I see. They certainly seem to understand each other…" HEA sighed, looking at Arthur briefly.

"Yes. But despite how it seems, Mister Goblin Slayer is aware of his surroundings." Priestess said, reaching a hand out and trailing it down Goblin Slayer's shoulder. "He's not obligated to teach me anything, but will. And Mister Gunslinger… he acts rudely sometimes, but he cares a lot more than people think. But… it feels like that care doesn't extend to himself."

The ranger raised a brow at that, looking back at Arthur again. She recalled the concern he had for Priestess when they were fighting. _Was he disregarding his own life?_

"I see…" Dwarf Shaman's snore soon interrupted her thoughts, causing her to sigh. "I guess we should sleep."

"Yeah." Priestess leaned back into Mastiff again. Looking at the dog, HEA dared to lean her head against his rear side, but the dog seemed to not mind in the least. HEA stared at the tapestry above, her thoughts going back to the brutal trek through the ruins before coming to a decision.

"I don't like them… Orcbolg or Ae Feredir." HEA finally said, sitting back up for a moment. "Adventures are supposed to be fun. Even if the world is dark and full of terrors… my adventures are the joy of exploring the unknown and discovering new things. Feeling accomplished or elated after a hard day's work. This… This wasn't an adventure."

The elf gazed across Goblin Slayer and Arthur, her lips forming a small frown. "One day… I'll take them both on a real adventure."

Behind his hat, Arthur felt a small smirk form on his lips. _Maybe one of those wouldn't be so bad._

 **To be continued…**

 **Well! That wasn't quite as much of a slog as I expected! It got surprisingly easier in the second half!**

 **Sorry for the wait guys, I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I decided to knock out this arc in this chapter, and it ended up working out in the end. Sorry if the fight wasn't super compelling, it was difficult finding more creative ways to work Arthur into the fight. It makes sense that he would leave his sniper rifle behind considering they were in a ruin, and his shotgun would only be useful at a certain range with how thick the ogre's skull is.**

 **Also, sorry that Mastiff didn't see any real action this chapter. This was a hard fight to justify his presence in. But don't worry, he's got plenty of goblin hunting trips ahead of him where he'll be put to work :P**

 **But anyway, I do hope you all enjoyed the chapter and sorry again for the wait! I'm trying to get back on the horse and get my writing chops in full gear, so we'll see about future chapters. Please be sure to leave a follow, a favorite and a review if you'd be so kind. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own neither Goblin Slayer or Red Dead Redemption.**

Chapter 10

"Tch. This isn't good."

Lenny's nose crinkled as he looked at the mess of what was once cow colored the ground. Its insides were missing and it was stripped down to the bone of its meat like it had been torn out viciously. Lenny felt a bit sad at seeing it, as he had grown a bit fond of the cow that was so mercilessly slaughtered.

"Whatcha thinkin', boss? Some kinda wild animal? Maybe some evil creature?" Lenny asked, squatting next to Farmer, Cow Girl's uncle.

"Maybe… it sure was savage enough with her, wasn't it…" He answered, rubbing his chin in worry.

"Uncle!" The two stood straight, watching as Cow Girl came running over with a worried frown. "It looks like several of the chickens are gone, too. I'm not sure if they were eaten or taken, but…"

"Damn it, of all things to happen right now!" Farmer snapped, kicking a bucket nearby on the ground. "This isn't good… I need to have this taken care of before it becomes a bigger problem."

"You want me to go lookin' for whatever it is that did this?" Lenny volunteered.

"What, no. Who knows what it could be."

"Goblin Slayer just left on another quest, too…" Cow Girl said longingly. Lenny batted the small pang of jealousy, focusing on the matter at hand.

"So what are we gonna do then? Who knows when whatever this thing is will be back."

"Hm… guess I don't have a choice but to put a request in at the guild." Farmer sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Well… to do that, we should at least know what it is we're lookin' at." Lenny suggested, following the trail of blood back to the forest lining the farm. "It could be just some crazy hungry animals or somethin' much worse. We don't wanna send the wrong people after somethin'." Farmer looked hesitant, knowing what Lenny was implying. So he pushed further. "Come on, boss. There ain't much choice left in what to do. Let me go follow the trail and figure out what this is. I won't try and fight it or nothin', I'll just get the best idea I can."

"By yourself? But that's…" Cow Girl looked worried, her eyes trailing to her uncle.

"... I hate to say it, but he's right. We can't just put a quest up without some details. But don't go doing anything stupid, okay? You get whatever we need to know and hightail it out of there. Don't stick around." Farmer said, earning a firm nod from Lenny.

"I won't do nothin' rash, trust me." Lenny said, sparing a look around. Nearby in a stump was a two handed wood cutting axe. He dislodged it from the trunk, carrying it in hand. "I won't pick a fight, but it's better than havin' nothin'."

"Right. Just be careful." Farmer nodded.

"Don't stray too far…" Cow Girl said, still concerned. Lenny took some solace in her worry at least, giving them both a nod before following the trail. He certainly wasn't a tracker like Arthur or Charles, but it was an easy enough trail even for a bookworm like Lenny to follow.

He tightened his grip on the axe in hand as he moved past the treeline, the trail becoming less obvious but still enough for Lenny to follow. But as he went a little deeper into the woods, Lenny found himself stopping when the trail led to a tree. "What the…" The blood trail hadn't ended, though. In fact, it went directly up the tree trunk. Following it up, Lenny's eyes trailed to the branches above.

Now, Lenny had never been one to shy away from bugs or spiders. He had always found a few species fascinating, in fact. But when he saw a thickly made web stretching from tree top to tree top, he couldn't help but feel dread fill him. Lenny immediately backpedaled, watching and listening to his surroundings with newfound paranoia.

 _Don't get caught off guard. Not again. I ain't dyin' like that again._ Lenny's pace picked up as perspiration began to build on his brow.

 ***** _ **CRACK**_ *****

The distant sound of wood snapping set him off though, causing Lenny to take off in a panic, heading for the light of day he had entered from. _Don't look back! Don't look!_

Lenny's heart pounded in his ear. His hands gripped the axe in his hands so tight that he could feel the splinters digging in. His fingers started to go numb, but Lenny didn't think about it. _JUST GET OUT!_

Once Lenny reached the outer edge of the treeline, feeling the direct sunlight beat down on his skin, Lenny came to a rough stop, breathing uncontrollably. He leaned on his knee with one hand while the other massaged his chest, trying to get his wits about him. His heart continued to beat in his ear, and he could barely hear as Farmer and Cow Girl approached.

"Ranch Hand? Ranch Hand! Are you okay?" Farmer called out, reaching a hand out and touching Lenny's shoulder. Lenny recoiled immediately, only now taking notice of the two as he stared at them with owlish eyes.

"R-Ranch Hand? What happened? You look terrified…" Cow Girl asked in worry. It took Lenny a moment to calm himself down, eyes darting between them before he started to slowly steady his breath.

"S-Sorry, I was… I'm okay, I jus'..." Lenny scrambled his words, breathing in and out deeply to try and compose himself.

"What is it you saw out there?" Farmer asked, concern coloring his expression.

"We uh… we got a spider problem." Lenny finally mustered up. "Big ones. I didn't see 'em, but the webs were definitely big enough. _Really_ big webs."

"Giant spiders?" Farmer mumbled, stroking his chin. "Didn't think we'd get a problem like that way out here… usually they'll stick to deep caverns or sewers…"

"Still, this is bad. We don't have a choice to put in a request at the guild." Cow Girl pointed out, earning a nod from her uncle.

"Yeah. Giant spiders wouldn't typically cost too much to deal with, but this is a special circumstance… We don't know how many there are, either." Farmer nodded, rubbing his chin. "Well, I've got quite a bit saved up, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Okay." Cow Girl shifted her attention to Lenny, who was starting to calm down, wiping his head with a rag. "Are you okay, Ranch Hand? Maybe you should rest for the day."

"Yeah. Thanks for investigating for us. You can take the rest of the day off and relax." Farmer offered, concern coloring his face.

Lenny looked between the two tentatively, biting his bottom lip. "N-No, that's alright… I just need to walk it off. I'm good." Lenny shook his head before clearing his throat. "In fact, why don't you give me the coin. I'll ride into town and put in the request."

Farmer raised a brow. "Are you sure? I figured you might want to rest."

"Nah, I'm okay boss. Besides, I clear my head better when riding." Lenny dismissed his concern.

"Do you want me to get you some water?" Cow Girl offered in concern.

"No thank you, miss. I… I appreciate it, though." Lenny shook his head, giving her a grateful smile.

"Well… if you're sure, I can go grab the money. But don't push yourself when you don't have to." Farmer suggested.

"I'm fine, really boss. Besides… if we're lucky, I can get us the best guy at the guild to help us out."

* * *

 _I musta looked mighty brave back there._

Lenny couldn't stop himself from sighing. He rode into town as promised, heading for the guild by cart. It had taken a little more convincing, but Lenny was able to get Farmer and Cow Girl to let him put in the request. He was glad they did, as the ride there had helped him wind down from his panic attack. But as his heart steadied and thoughts cleared up, Lenny couldn't help but feel some shame at his episode.

 _One whiff of trouble, and I turn yellow-bellied. What's wrong with me?_

Lenny didn't need to ask that question. He knew. Death had left its stain on him. The pain. The fear. It still haunted him. There were nights he'd wake up covered in sweat, recalling the rooftop. Looking at Arthur one moment before turning to see two deputies coming up, one with a shotgun in hand. And the pain. It was brief, but Lenny recalled every agonizing second of pain he felt as darkness took him. He didn't tell Arthur, but he remembered hearing his voice and the vague touch of his hands. But it was as brief as the pain, the light in his eyes having vanished and all feeling leaving his body.

 _I don't want to feel that way again._

Lenny wasn't dumb. He knew death was inescapable. But that didn't mean he was in a rush to die again.

Lenny wiped his forehead with a rag, composing himself as he slowed the cart to a stop. He parked close to the guild entrance, hopping off and walking through the revolving doors.

"He's still not back?" Lenny couldn't stop a smile from spreading across his lips, feeling relief when he heard Arthur's voice. His oldest friend stood at the front desk, speaking with Guild GIrl.

"No, not yet. It was for a distant village after all. If all goes well, he'll likely be back tonight or in the morning." Guild Girl explained with a somewhat depressed tone.

"Musta been a mess… I was plannin' to make us a bit of money today, too." Arthur sighed, massaging his chin.

"Well, you could always help an old pal if you're available." Lenny called out, drawing Arthur's attention to him.

"Ah, Len-er-Ranch Hand!" Arthur smiled, the two clasping hands and hugging briefly. "Whatchu' doin' here?"

"Just what I said. Lookin' for help." Lenny explained, walking over to the desk so that Guild Girl was part of the conversation. "I'm glad I caught you. I was about to put in a request for the farm I work on."

"What trouble you dealin' with?" Arthur leaned on the desk next to him. Lenny produced the parchment and reward money Farmer had to offer, pushing it to Guild Girl.

"Spiders. Giant ones. I know they're not usually too big of a threat, but we don't know just how many there are or where their nest is."

"I see. Strange to hear that giant spiders would be out by a farmland like that, though…" Guild Girl mumbled, inspecting the request and reward. "Looks like a decent reward for the job, too. Considering the small amount of details, it seems fair. I'm sure it'll be easy to get an adventurer to take the job." She reassured with a smile.

"That's good to hear. We can't afford to let this problem sit for too long, neither." Lenny suggested. "They killed and took some of the livestock already. Gotta be dealt with quick as can be."

"Well, hell. You don't need to put a request in then." Arthur reassured, patting Lenny on the shoulder. "We can handle this ourselves."

"I was plannin' to ask, but I at least thought you could use some pay." Lenny admitted with a laugh. "Only seems fair."

"Ah, forget that. When's the last time we got to really ride together?" Arthur asked with an eager grin. "We'll handle your little spider problem real quick."

Lenny smiled but his face stiffened, eyes falling to the ground. He knew what Arthur was implying. But after the scare in the woods, Lenny knew it wasn't a good idea. "Listen… I-"

"W-Wait!"

Lenny and Arthur drew their attention up, looking at two young kids approaching them, a boy and a girl. They looked to be fifteen or sixteen, just a few years younger than Lenny. The boy had dirty blond hair and wore basic leather armor on his upper body and forearms over a tunic. The girl had long auburn hair and wore a white and maroon mage's robe. A sword dangled at his hip while a chanting staff hung from her back.

"We only heard a bit about giant spiders, but we wanted to know if that quest was still available?" The boy asked, looking somewhat desperate.

Arthur and Lenny spared a look at one another before looking back at the kids. "You serious?"

"Y-Yes! Very!" The boy nodded fervently.

"We've been cleaning the sewers out non-stop. We'd _really_ like a change of scenery…" the girl said this time, sounding tired.

Arthur rubbed the hairs on his chin, looking at Lenny for a moment. "Whatchu' think? Should we bring these little green horns along?" Arthur asked, sounding amused by their plea.

"I mean, hey, if you think we'll need the help. Or the bait, maybe." Lenny smirked, entertaining the idea.

"B-Bait?" The kids repeated.

"Well, sure. We gotta serve up _somethin'_ for those creepy crawlers, don't we?" Arthur grinned as he leaned in and inspected the kids. "Givin' them some fresh meat like you two might just do the trick! What do you say?"

"Gunslinger!" Guild Girl scolded, earning a laugh from Lenny and Arthur, the two kids looking visibly shaken by his words. "You're being mean!"

"I'm just bein' real! Who knows what could happen on a quest like this." Arthur held up his hands.

"True enough. We still don't got much idea on how many either. Could be pretty dangerous for some greenhorns." Lenny, while still amused, spoke honestly. "You sure you're up for that?"

The pair shook a little bit, but soon took a deep breath. Courage seemed to return to them as the boy spoke first; "Y-Yes! We need to start doing more as is, and… this could be our chance!"

"We'll do what we have to! Even if it means being… bait." The mage girl didn't seem too confident at the end, but remained committed.

Arthur hummed, looking at Lenny from the side again. "Whatcha' think, Ranch Hand? Maybe give these ankle biters a fair shake?"

Lenny tapped his foot on the ground as he took a moment to think. While he was concerned for the safety of these kids, he was also concerned about sending Arthur in alone. He knew as well as anybody how dependable Arthur was, but it gave him some peace of mind knowing that he would have some support. _And after that scare, I'm afraid I'm more than useless…_

"Why not. They got the guts to ask, so maybe we should." Lenny shrugged, bringing some hope to the young adventurers.

"Fair enough… Say, Guild Girl. Just how high ranked would this kinda quest be usually?" Arthur asked, turning back to the receptionist.

"Oh, judging from how little we know… likely a steel rank." Guild Girl said, inspecting the parchment. "Giant spiders alone might usually be around porcelain rank, but the special circumstances call for something a bit higher. The pay is 200 silvers as well, so that's considerably high."

"Th-That much?" The boy mumbled as his eyes started to shine.

"Please take us with you!" The girl begged at this point, putting her hands together and bowing.

"You kids are real desperate, ain't ya?" Lenny laughed.

"No kiddin'. Enough beggin' already. It's startin' to be pathetic." Arthur sighed, causing the two young adventurers to slump their shoulders. "Alright… how about we make a deal. If you two come along and carry your own weight well enough, I'll let you split the reward amongst yourselves."

"R-Really?!" They exclaimed almost too quickly.

" _But_ if I end up havin' to take care of you kids like some sorta wet nurse, you ain't gettin' a _single_ silver." Their expressions immediately fell at that.

"Mister Gunslinger, that's a bit harsh…" Guild Girl said, biting her bottom lip.

"I ain't in the business of bein' their babysitter. They wanna come on a dangerous quest, they gotta hold their own." Arthur said, somewhat coldly. He turned back to the two with a firm expression. "What's it gonna be then? That's my only offer. Without me, you wouldn't be able to take this level of quest, after all."

The pair hesitated, silently looking at one another. It took a moment but they both nodded their affirmation. "We'll carry our weight! I promise!"

"We won't hold you back!" The girl said.

Arthur took a moment before shrugging. "Alright. I guess you can come." The pair breathed out in relief. "Now before we go, what're your names?"

"Oh, I'm Rookie Warrior, and this is Apprentice Cleric. Pleased to meet you." The boy introduced them.

"I look forward to working together!" Cleric said, bowing in appreciation. "So you know, I'm capable of using two spells in one day. Holy Smite and Minor Heal."

"Okay. Guess we'll save those for an emergency." Arthur nodded, looking back at Rookie. "That the best armor you got? Don't know if it'll protect much from a giant spider bite."

"Y-Yeah, it's... the best I can afford." Rookie Warrior admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "B-But it's still not bad. It's easy to move around in and sturdy enough for light damage!"

"Maybe… guess that's what you need this quest for then." Arthur chuckled. "Alright, why don't you two go and get whatever you need and we'll leave in twenty. Might as well get ahead of this now."

"Yes sir!" They immediately scrambled off to retrieve their things.

"Think they're ready for this?" Lenny asked curiously.

"Probably. Aside from lookin' ugly, giant spiders ain't that big of a deal." Arthur shrugged. "They probably need the silver more than I do anyway. Let's get some supplies of our own while those two scurry around."

"I'll be sure to put you three down for the quest, then. Do be careful!" Guild Girl smiled as she began to write in her log book.

"We'll see you when it's done." Arthur tipped his hat before walking toward the exit with Lenny. "So Lenny, whatcha' thinkin' of fightin' with?"

"Er, well…" Lenny bit his bottom lip nervously.

"If you want, I can buy whatever weapon you want. Somethin' you're familiar with. All that farmin', I bet you'd do good with a shovel." Arthur joked. "Course, if you want, you can use one of my guns. I know you know how to use one."

"Listen, Arthur…" Lenny sighed, coming to a stop just as they set foot on the dirt path. "I… I don't know if I…"

Arthur raised a brow. "If what?"

"If I… can help." Lenny admitted finally, his head hanging. "I… when I was out there, I… I froze up. Somethin' fierce, too. And I ran soon as I could move. I'm not… I'm afraid, Arthur. Afraid of dying. _Again."_

Lenny slowly trailed his eyes back up to Arthur. While Arthur was generally kind to him, he was also the type to tell someone to toughen up. He never pushed too hard, but he did give a hard time when he had too.

But as his eyes landed on Arthur's expression, he saw conflicting emotions, disappointment but understanding coloring his face.

"... I see. I understand." Lenny's eyes lit up in surprise.

"You do?" asked Lenny, unsure.

"'Course I do. I'm probably the only person who _does_. We've both kicked the bucket, remember?" Arthur chuckled. "You got a new life here. I don't wanna take you from it."

Lenny was nonetheless shocked by his words, feeling relief fill him knowing Arthur wasn't upset. "Thank you, Arthur."

"Sure. Now, come on." Arthur slapped his shoulder. "We still gotta get you somethin'. Even if you don't fight now, I'm sure you'll wanna protect that girl at the farm eventually."

Lenny laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean-I guess I'd fight for some things…" The two pressed forward again, heading toward the black smith. Lenny still felt some guilt over his decision, but it brought to light a question of his own:

"Hey, Arthur… if you know what it's like… How'd you get back into fighting so quickly?"

"Well, I didn't really have a choice when I got here." Arthur said with a dry chuckle. "But after that… not sure. Didn't think much about it, honestly. Just felt like the natural thing to do. After all, live or die again, I… I got a lot more to make up for than you, kid."

Lenny came to a stop, but Arthur continued forward. Lenny knew what kind of things Arthur did in the past. Some good, and some not so good. It made him wonder how much Arthur had changed in his last days. The clarity he spoke of that freed him. _I guess it did a lot more good for him than I realized._

* * *

"This seems kinda excessive, don't it?" Lenny asked.

"Like I said, all that shovelin' and farmin' probably did wonders for your arms. Plus you seemed to like it well enough when we were browsin'." Arthur shrugged. The two former outlaws had departed with the pair of rookies, taking Lenny's carriage back to the farm. Sitting next to him as he drove was a newly bought battle hammer. It had a double-sided head with a cold iron shaft and leather hand wraps.

"It was surprisingly light for how it looks… guess all that farmin' did do me some good." Lenny chuckled, reaching down and taking a better look at it. He lifted it up and down in his hand, feeling the weight once again. "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it. You just let me know if you ever need somethin' else and I'll do what I can." Arthur nodded.

"Th-Thank you for the spare weapons for us as well!" Rookie Warrior shouted from the back of the wagon. Arthur had made the decision to purchase something extra for their rookie pair, buying a mace for Rookie Warrior and a smaller but solid wooden club for Apprentice Cleric. "We'll pay you back when the quest is over!"

"Focus on doin' the quest first. Carry your weight, and I might just forget whatever you owe." Arthur said nonchalantly.

"Still, it means a lot that you were willing to take us on, Mister Gunslinger. Most of the higher rank adventurers, aside from Heavy Swordsman and Female Knight, don't usually give us porcelain ranks the time of day." Cleric said, her voice grateful.

"Well, try not to make me regret doin' it." Arthur shrugged off her thanks. "Just focus on the task at hand. Remember, they're just big bugs. We squash 'em like anything else. Cleric, you'll stay at the back while Warrior and I are killin' them from the front. Warrior, use the mace instead of your sword first. Don't wanna get it stuck in one while we're fightin'."

"Yes sir!" They quickly agreed. Quietly, Cleric took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "It's okay, they're just spiders… nothing to worry about… just big bugs…"

"What are you mumblin' back there?" Arthur didn't miss a beat.

"N-Nothing, sir! Just-um-preparing!"

"Not so loud!" Rookie Warrior hushed her in a panic. Arthur turned back in his seat, eyes seeing right through Apprentice Cleric.

" _Please_ tell me you're not afraid of bugs…"

"W-Well, I…" Cleric crumpled under his gaze, head hanging low.

"You've gotta be kiddin' me-you know we're dealin' with _giant spiders_ , right? Biggest and nastiest bugs you'll ever meet!" Arthur pushed, staring at her in disbelief.

"We won't let that stop us! We'll do what we have to!" Rookie Warrior quickly defended.

"Maybe you will, but what about her?" Arthur demanded. "You really ready to face those things? You hesitate even a moment and it could get ya killed. Or _worse."_

"I-I'll be fine! I won't let it stop me, I promise!" Cleric summoned her courage, meeting Arthur's gaze. Arthur stared back into her eyes for a long moment, looking for any weakness. While she quivered a bit, she still held his gaze, and eventually he broke it.

"You better hope so," was all he said, turning back in his seat and looking at Lenny with a shake of his head.

Lenny spared a look back at the pair. They had visibly deflated after Arthur's scolding, looking down at their hands and remaining quiet. Lenny couldn't stop a quiet chuckle. "I guess you did always have a soft spot for youngin's, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talkin' about. I may just take their whole reward for that kinda talk." Arthur smirked, shaking his head. "Nah, they… they're just kids. We weren't much older ourselves when we started fightin' for survival. In fact, I think I met you when you were around their age, right?"

"A little older. About when I was seventeen, I think." Lenny recalled, smirking at the memory. "I remember finding the camp up there in the Grizzlies, hungry as a bear and desperate for a meal."

"I remember your face the moment Hosea stuck a gun to your head when he found you by his horse." Arthur laughed, eliciting one from Lenny in return.

"Man~, I nearly wet my trousers when I saw that barrel stick in my face." Lenny grinned as the memory flashed in his mind. "Lucky for me, you all was decent folk."

"Contrary to the shit Bill gave you at first. Took him awhile to forgive you for sneakin' into camp while he was on watch duty. Hosea certainly gave him an earful for that." Arthur recalled, earning another laugh from Lenny.

"Yeah, but Bill came around eventually. Which was a big shock, because I thought he'd never forgive me for that one. Big ol' white fool with a chip on his shoulder. But Dutch sure talked him down good over time." Lenny pointed out. Remembering his former mentor, a wistful feeling passed over him. "I remember… Dutch bringin' me into camp. Hearin' my story. Givin' me a bowl of Pearson's stew. I'll never forget what Dutch did for me that day. Givin' me a new place and people to call home."

Arthur's expression sombered at that, his jaw clenching as he looked to the side. Lenny frowned, looking at Arthur in concern. "What's wrong?"

"... Nothin', it's just…" Arthur gave a sad smile as he tried to put on a facade. "I wish I could remember Dutch the same way you do. For the man he was instead o' the… the man he became." Arthur linked his hands in front of him, releasing a deep breath. "Or maybe… he was always that man. And we just didn't see it."

Lenny didn't know what to say to that. Part of him wished he had been there during the gang's last days. Maybe he could have changed something. Maybe he could have kept that snake Micah from getting into Dutch's ear. But then again, if Arthur couldn't, then how could he have? Still, knowing what he did now… he couldn't help but wonder 'what if'?

It wasn't long after that when they reached the farm. Farmer met them at the border of his land and spoke to Arthur about some of the smaller details they learned after Lenny left, which wasn't much. The webs went further into the forest, but they didn't see how far as they had soon bailed out.

"So, that bothersome man decided now was a great time to go on a goblin hunt, huh?" Farmer scoffed in minor annoyance.

"Uncle!" Cow Girl huffed, crossing his arms. "It's not his fault he didn't know!"

"You know how it goes. Quests can take up quite a bit of time." Arthur defended this time.

"I know, I know. Just picked a bad time to run off is all." Farmer sighed. "We appreciate the help, at least. I hope the spiders aren't too big of a problem."

"Yeah, we'll see. I'd like to just burn 'em out, but don't wanna burn the forest down doin' it." Arthur hummed before looking back at Warrior and Cleric. "Hey! You two ready?"

"Y-Yes sir!" They both answered, straightening up.

"Tch. Kids," Arthur smirked before looking back at Farmer. "Well, we'll be off. You all take care and put some torches up around the farm. They ain't exactly excited to run by any fires and you'll see 'em comin' if some were able to get past us."

"We'll be sure to do that. Good luck out there." Farmer shook hands with Arthur.

"Be careful. We need you back in top shape so you can keep an eye on Goblin Slayer." Cow girl smiled.

"Well, thankfully, we've got another pair of eyes on him now." Arthur chuckled before tipping his hat to Cow Girl and moving to Lenny. The young man looked ashamed, head dipped and arms crossed. Arthur slapped him on the shoulder, trying to reassure him. "We'll be back soon as we can. Don't worry about nothin' 'cept protectin' the farm."

"Thanks, again. I… I wish I could help out." Lenny sighed, finally looking up at Arthur.

"Don't even worry about it. So long as I can get these kids to pull their weight, shouldn't even be a big problem." Arthur smiled, patting him on the shoulder. He turned away from Lenny and moved to the tree line. "Alright, you two! Let's get goin' before it gets dark! Gotta hit 'em while there's light!"

"Okay!" The rookie pair quickly fell in line next to Arthur, their grip tightening on their weapons. It wasn't long until they were in the forest, the shade of the trees darkening their vision. Arthur followed the same trail Lenny did, going by the dried blood and broken branches and keeping a hand on his revolver's grip.

"So… how many do you think there are?" Warrior asked from Arthur's side.

"Depends on how big. If they're big as horses, probably just five or six. Smaller, we're probably dealin' with about ten or so." Arthur suggested. "Thankfully, we'd know if it were any bigger than that."

"It's still strange that a bunch of giant spiders would be out in the open like this. They're usually hiding in caves and tunnels." Cleric mumbled, her hands wringing around her chanting sword nervously.

"Well, it could mean a few things. First would be that there's a cave nearby and they got desperate for food. Another would be that they were forced outta their old hiding place. And the last-" Arthur said, coming to a stop when he saw the trail of blood go up a tree. "Found our webs. Up above."

Cleric and Warrior looked up, both visibly grimacing at the sight. "They could be anywhere above us…"

"Yeah… worst part is, we can't burn 'em out. Not unless you can cast some water magic to put out a fire." Arthur asked somewhat hopefully.

"Sorry, that's not something I can do…" She sighed, shaking her head.

"Guess we'll have to do it the hard way, then." Arthur sighed, eyes following the webs. "Alright, come on. We'll follow the webs far as we can. If we're lucky, they'll be in a cave we can smoke out. If not, we'll draw them out."

"Okay." Warrior nodded, quickly jogging over to Arthur.

Arthur took a step forward before coming to a complete stop. He felt something loose underneath his foot, looking down to see his boot caught in a web. "... Ah, shit-STAY BACK!" Arthur shouted to the pair, causing them to freeze in place. As they did so, Arthur found himself hoisted upward by the boot, a web jerking him up into the air. Arthur cursed as most of his arsenal save for his offhand revolver fell off of him as he was brought up into the air. He now hung from a high tree, his leg suspended by a web.

"Gunslinger!" Cleric and Warrior ran underneath him, looking up in panic.

"I'm fine! Keep your eyes open!" Arthur snarled, grabbing his one remaining gun from its holster and cocking the hammer. It was hard to see what was going on, hanging upside down. But he had to adjust quick, or it could mean death. "This was a trap!"

"A trap?! But how could giant spiders come up with that?!" Warrior blanched, pulling out his new mace and keeping his head on a swivel.

"It means someone or somethin's controllin' them!" Arthur informed, reaching for the axe on his hip and keeping it in his free hand. "If they set a trap, then that means they're gonna-"

"M-Mister Gunslinger! Above you!" Cleric screeched, pointing past Arthur into the brush above. Arthur looked up and cursed his luck. A giant spider, at least the size of a wolf, was now crawling its way down toward him.

 _This ain't startin' great._

Arthur steadied his gaze and leveled his revolver at the spider's head.

* * *

"Lunch is almost ready, Ranch Hand."

"Gotcha…" Lenny leaned an elbow on the windowsill overlooking the barn, his eyes glued to the treeline bordering it. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the regret gnawing at his gut since Arthur left. He had sent his only remaining friend from his old life to fight for the barn he lived on. Whatever danger was out there, Arthur was facing it with two rookies at his back.

And here Lenny was, sitting around like an anxious dog. _What am I doin', sittin' here with my tail tucked between my legs?_ He rubbed his hand over his lips, his eyes drifting from the treeline to the battle hammer Arthur generously provided him. His foot tapped against the hardwood floor as he felt the urge to pick it up and charge out the front door. That was then batted back by the brief memory of his anxiety attack. It was as if Lenny's heart was waging war over what he should be doing.

"You're making the right choice, kid." Lenny's eyes darted up to Farmer, the older man watching him with his firm scowl.

"Am I?" Lenny asked, not having to ask what he meant.

"You are. Leave it to your friend to handle a few spiders." Farmer said, walking over to a chair against the opposite wall and taking a seat. "No need to get antsy over them."

"It ain't that…" Lenny sighed, leaning his elbows on his knees as he looked at the ground at his feet. "I… I used to be able to fight, you know? I used to go out there and do… stuff like Gunslinger. But here I am, sittin' back and lettin' someone else risk their neck for the place I call home."

"So, you used to be an adventurer, huh?" Farmer ventured, earning a dry chuckle from Lenny.

"Somethin' like that. I would call us more survivors than adventurers," he answered as honestly as he could. Farmer raised a brow at that, but remained silent. "We used to pull off some dumb and crazy stuff together. I used to run in first to danger like any one of those fools out there. I was good at it, too."

"I see. So… what happened?"

"... Let's just say that… I had one close call that was a bit more than just 'close'." Lenny mustered up the best he could think of to describe his death. "I got separated from Gunslinger in the process, and… wound up with you guys in the process. And now, I can barely look at trouble without gettin' shaky!"

"That''s not so bad though, right?" Lenny's attention was drawn to Cow Girl. She leaned on the doorframe of the room, her eyes filled with concern. "You've stayed out of trouble and you work harder than anyone. What's wrong with not throwing yourself into danger anymore?"

Lenny felt his anxiety level out, feeling grateful once again for Cow Girl's concern. Her words brought a stillness to his heart. He truly wished her heart wasn't completely consumed with Goblin Slayer.

"She's right. You're a smart kid, Ranch Hand. You've always had a good head on your shoulders. Better than our farm deserves, I think." Farmer said, giving a small but rare smile. "Whatever survival you fought for before, it's not a concern now. Let others do the fighting so you can live a life without that struggle."

Lenny pursed his lips, looking to the side in contemplation. _Maybe they're right._ His life since living on the farm had been hard but honest and rewarding. He had made good friends with Farmer and Cow Girl, and life had never been difficult. Hadn't he done enough fighting and surviving in his old life? _Didn't I come here for a second chance at somethin' else?_

 _ **Keep others from suffering the fate you did.**_

Lenny's body shuddered when those words echoed in his mind. A grim reminder of what he heard after his death echoing in his ear. _But… what does that mean?_

 ***** _ **boom***_

Lenny jumped to his feet as the nostalgic sound of a colt .45 echoed from the forest.

"What the hell was that?" Farmer muttered, standing from his seat.

"Gunslinger…" Lenny answered quietly.

 ***** _ **boom boom boom***_

"I didn't think we'd be able to hear that all the way from here. I guess his magic is pretty strong…" Cow Girl hummed, holding her chin in thought.

Lenny, on the other hand, felt a chill run up his spine. It had been some time since hearing the sound of gunfire. But the way Arthur was shooting… it filled him with dread. "I… I think they're in trouble."

"What?" Farmer and Cow Girl turned in wonder. Lenny didn't answer, his eyes immediately falling to the hammer. Without a word, he reached forward and grabbed it, hoisting it up and resting it on his shoulder.

"I'll be back. Make sure to keep an eye on the trees."

"W-Wait, what do you mean?!" Cow Girl asked, following him in concern.

"You idiot, didn't you listen to a word we just said?!" Farmer snapped.

"I did. And y'all are right." Lenny stopped in the doorway, looking back at the two. "But I ain't fightin' to survive right now. I'm fightin' for what I got now instead o' what I don't have."

"Ranch Hand, don't! You don't know if they're in trouble!" Cow Girl said, quickly grabbing his arm to try and stop him.

"I don't. But I won't know unless I see for myself. I… I don't want what happened to me happenin' to Gunslinger or those kids." Lenny pulled his arm from her grip, keeping his eyes away from Cow Girl. He was afraid that if he met her eyes, she might be more successful in stopping him. He pushed forward, ignoring the pleas of Cow Girl and Farmer as he marched out.

* * *

 _I'm_ _ **really**_ _startin' to hate spiders!_

Arthur couldn't have cursed his luck any more than he had at the moment. The giant spiders that had attempted to make a snack of him had gathered in a crowd. Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric were fighting with several on the ground. The first spider that tried to take a bite out of Arthur had fallen out of the tree dead after taking four bullets to its eight eyed face.

Unfortunately, it was soon followed by _another_ that had jumped on Arthur's legs. Arthur had shot out two of its eyes, but it proved durable, pushing through the pain and attempting to bite into his legs. Arthur didn't have the time to initiate the reload after that, using both hands to keep the spider from sinking its fangs into him.

"Things aren't looking good!" Warrior grit his teeth as he kept the spiders around them back by swinging his mace

"A-Are you okay, Gunslinger?" Cleric asked, her head darting from the spiders in front of them to the webbed place of Art.

"No! I ain't!" Arthur snarled, using his revolver to press into the gap between the spider's fangs as he reared his axe back. He then swung his hatchet into its head, causing the spider to shriek in pain. That didn't stop Arthur from pulling it back out and chopping into another section of its head, digging deeper this time and killing it. With its body going limp, Arthur tossed its body off of him and onto the ground. That caused several of the surrounding arachnids to take steps back, hissing out as they glared at Warrior and Cleric.

"You might have just… pissed them off…" Warrior mumbled as his face paled.

"Cleric!" Arthur called out, bringing the girl's attention to him. "I need you to toss me one of my guns!"

"Y-Your what?!"

"The stuff I was carryin'! Specifically the shotgun!" Arthur pointed at his model 1897 that sat at her feet. "Toss it to me and I can help!"

"Here they come!" Warrior announced, swinging at the closest spider only for it to hop back. Another came from his left, but he was thankfully able to block with his mace, keeping it from sinking its teeth into his face. But the one on his right was able to do so without issue. "GAAAGH!"

" **Warrior**!" Cleric cried out, quickly holding her staff out as she prepared to cast Holy Smite.

"No! Toss me the gun!" Arthur demanded. "I can save him!"

"B-But he's-"

 ***SQUISH***

"SKREE~!" The spider biting into Warrior's arm suddenly found its lower half being smashed hard into the ground, letting out a cry of agony. It was quickly shut up as a hammer slammed down on its head, ending its life with a splat. Arthur looked down with delight to see Lenny standing there, spider guts and blood dripping from his battle hammer.

"Y-You…" Warrior mumbled, falling to his knees as he nursed the arm that was bit.

"Get behind me! Now!" Lenny told them, stepping in front of Warriors as the spiders cautiously backed away after seeing the other killed.

"Cleric, now! Toss me the gun!" Arthur ordered, bringing the girl's attention up to him.

"But I need to-" she reached toward Warrior's side.

"Do as he… says!" Warrior managed, causing Cleric to hesitate. "I'm poisoned, so minor heal won't work… do what Gunslinger says!"

Cleric hesitated a moment longer before looking at Lenny's back and then quickly going to the shotgun on the ground. With an awkward swing up, Arthur caught the shotgun, cocking it and taking aim.

 ***BOOM!***

With a thunderous explosion, one of the two remaining spiders suddenly lost a portion of its head, the body twitching for a moment as it struggled on its feet for a moment before falling dead to the ground. Lenny swung his hammer at the last one, but the spider quickly hopped back before retreating deeper into the forest.

 ***BOOM***

The Spider screeched as part of its lower back was shot, now leaking with blood but quickening its pace to escape. Lenny watched it go for a moment longer before turning back to Warrior and Cleric.

"It's gone for now, but keep an eye out!" Lenny told them, quickly snatching up the cattleman revolver on the ground and keeping it cocked. "Arthu-er-Gunslinger! Shoot the web! I'll catch you!"

Seeing that it was now out of range, Arthur lowered his shotgun's aim to the webbing holding him up. With another blast, he destroyed the webbing suspending him in the air. He fell with a not so gracefully, but thankfully Lenny broke his fall the best he could underneath him. The two fell to the ground, but it was rather harmless aside from knocking the wind out of them.

"You got no idea how glad I am to see you…" Arthur breathed out, smirking as the two pushed off the ground.

"Yeah, I bet you were." Lenny smiled back, helping him up. "Seems like a lotta trouble came quick."

"Gunslinger, help! He's been poisoned!" Cleric announced, the two quickly jogging over to her and Warrior. He was still gripping his arm and was pale in the face, the bite in his right arm deep.

"Here, I got an antidote." Arthur handed it to Cleric. "Heal him up soon as he takes it and he'll be fine."

"Right. _Chief of Justice, Lord of the Sword, ward of the scale, please grunt us healing!"_ Cleric chanted, a light illuminating around Rookie Warrior. The bite marks on his arm faded and the color returned to his face.

"Th-thanks. Those miracles sure come handy…" Rookie Warrior shakily laughed, slowly standing up with her help.

"Idiot! I can only use two miracles! If you do something reckless like that again, who knows what will happen?" Cleric scolded, concern coloring her face.

"You two good?" Arthur asked, picking up his sniper rifle from the ground and slinging it over his shoulder. "I know that was pretty rough, even for someone experienced."

"W-We're okay… that all just happened so quickly…" Warrior breathed out, leaning down and picking up his mace.

"That was certainly a scene to come onto. What happened?" Lenny asked, resting his hammer on his shoulder.

"We walked into a trap. Or, more pathetically, I did." Arthur sighed, shaking his head. "We ain't just dealin' with some spiders. Somethin' else is orderin' them around."

"Shit. Guess it ain't over then." Lenny cursed, rubbing his chin. His nerves were on end, but he was pushing through the fear this time and keeping a level head.

"S-So what do we do?" Cleric asked.

"I shot that thing's ass on purpose. Wanted it to leave us a blood trail." Arthur pointed toward where the last spider ran off, a small puddle of spider blood splattered on the ground. "I'm gonna give chase and make sure anything left is dealt with. If you kids want to head back, you can. Lenny, you can guide 'em back."

"N-No! We can keep going!" Warrior quickly disagreed, shaking his head. "We've come this far, I know we can do this! We were just caught off guard!"

"Look, if this is about the reward, I-"

"N-No! It's more than that!" Warrior shook his head. "We want to be adventurers, and this is just a taste of what something bigger is like. If we can't keep going here, then what's the point?"

"Warrior…" Cleric mumbled before looking at Arthur. "H-He's right. We're both willing to keep pushing on."

Arthur raised a brow, looking at both kids for a moment, feeling mildly impressed. "Well, alright then. Just don't say I didn't give you a chance before." He then looked at Lenny. "Thanks for your help again, partner. You can head back if you want. Me and the kids should be able to handle the rest from here."

Lenny clenched his jaw, taking a moment to think. "Naw, that's alright. I'm here now, so might as well see it through. I got your back."

Arthur smirked, feeling relief to know Lenny would be joining them. "You know I'm always up to ride with you, kid." Arthur slapped his shoulder. "Hold onto that gun while you're here. I know you can use it."

"Been a while, but shouldn't take long to adjust." Lenny smirked, doing a quick spin of the gun on his finger.

"Good. 'Cause whatever's controllin' these things, we're gonna need to kill it quick as we can." Arthur cocked the lever-action shotgun, taking the lead ahead of the group. He spied out the blood trail, slowly tracking the giant spider through the foliage. This time he wouldn't be caught off guard, eyes peeled for any traps. "Keep your eyes up on the trees. They could try and jump us from above."

"Yes sir!" Warrior and Cleric tighened their grips on their weapons, eyes scanning their surroundings. Lenny kept the revolver in his hand cocked as he trailed behind Cleric, taking up the rear to make sure their mage was guarded from both sides. It wasn't long until they came to a small opening in the ground like a tunnel, wide enough that one of the spiders could burrow through easily enough.

"Looks like we found where they've been campin'. Well, if they're down there…" Arthur drew a fire bottle from his bag. "We don't gotta worry about settin' the trees on fire. Cover me." Arthur made sure to step back far enough that the spider couldn't attack him from the tunnel mouth. "Fire in the hole!" He announced, underhand tossing the fire bottle into the tunnel mouth.

But just as it was about to enter, a two pronged claw reached up and caught it.

Arthur's eyes widened when the claw split it in half, the fire harmlessly falling away from the alcohol before the rest of the body came out. A large, deformed purple creature climbed out, standing at least at six feet. It had lanky arms and legs, with a body of a hunchback and the face of a spider.

"I-It's an Ettercap!" Cleric announced to the others.

"Then that's what's controllin' the spiders." Arthur grabbed the shotgun from his shoulder, but the Ettercap acted quick, shooting a web from its mouth and latching onto it. With a quick tug of its head, the gun flew from Arthur's hand. "Aw-shit!" It then launched at Arthur, jumping on top of him with a claw raised.

But Arthur had been tackled by larger. He quickly smashed his fist into the Ettercap's head, grabbing its two long fangs and keeping it from gaining total control on the ground.

"Around us!" Warrior cried out, several spiders coming out of hiding and dropping down at the four. He ran at the first spider to drop, swinging his mace down and quickly knocking it off balance. Lenny was quick to follow up, going to the other side and slamming his hammer into the fangs of another spider.

"The third's coming out of the cave!" Cleric announced, drawing her chanting sword and taking aim.

Arthur pushed the Ettercap back enough to kick it in the stomach, knocking it off the top of him. He quickly scrambled to his feet, hand drawing his revolver and taking aim. But the Ettercap quickly hopped back, allowing the spider behind it to take the lead. Arthur cursed as he fired on the spider as it got close, wounding it but not killing it as it clambered on top of him. "Son of a bitch!"

"Turn it towards me!" Cleric said, causing Arthur to look back. Electricity began to crackle around her chanting blade. " _Chief of Justice, Lord of the Sword, ward of the scale, may your forces manifest before me…"_

Arthur quickly shifted the spider around so that its back was toward Apprentice Cleric.

" _Holy Smite!"_ A bolt of magical electricity shot from her chanting staff, crisping the spider in one shot. It died almost instantly, falling to the ground limp. Arthur didn't waste a moment, quickly spinning around and taking aim. The Ettercap was already jumping toward him, but not fast enough.

Time slowed down, and Arthur was fast on the draw. But just as he was about to plug the Ettercap full of holes, Arthur saw its head torn through by a single bullet. He looked to the side to see Lenny with his revolver raised, having taken the first shot. The Ettercap staggered in place, still bearing some life. Arthur, not wanting to chance it, quickly fanned the hammer of his gun, plugging its head and body full of holes to finish it off. It fell forward at its feet, going limp.

Arthur spat on the Ettercap's corpse, stuffing his revolver back into its holster. He spared a look back at Warrior and Lenny the latter leaning on the handle of his battle hammer and lowering his gun. Meanwhile, Rookie Warrior was mauling what was left of its body, striking what was already a dead spider.

"Hey! It's dead! You can stop now," Apprentice Cleric called out, causing Warrior to flinch as he finally stopped.

"S-Sorry, guess I got carried away…" He breathed out, wiping his head of sweat.

"No kiddin', kid. Still angry about that nasty bite?" Lenny asked with a humorous grin.

"Who wouldn't be?! That thing hurt like hell…" Warrior complained, rubbing the spot he was previously bit on.

"Don't whine. You're doin' just fine now." Arthur laughed, having retrieved his shotgun from where the Ettercap had tossed it.

"Still, I've gotta say, you looked _way_ better using that mace than you do using a sword." Cleric teased.

"S-Shut up, I still like my sword…" Warrior mumbled but smiled at the mace. "But this did work really well…"

The girl laughed, causing Lenny and Rookie Warrior to join in. Their nerves were still shot, but they were joking enough to ease the tension that built up. Arthur smiled, glad to see that their party had come out fine. He slung the shotgun onto his shoulder, turning back to the Ettercap.

"Nasty thing, wasn't it?" Lenny asked, walking up to his side and looking at the dead beast. "Pretty smart for how it looks."

"That seems to be a theme with these animals." Arthur huffed, kicking its body for good measure. "Yup, it's dead. Alright, you three. Let's get goin'."

"Right!" Warrior and Cleric quickly fell in line with Arthur and Lenny, the four heading back out of the forest.

"S-So, um… Mister Gunslinger?" Warrior coughed out.

"What?"

"How did we… do?" Warrior asked, he and Cleric looking up at him hopefully. Arthur gave them a cold sideways glance before shrugging.

"I guess you did alright. You carried your weight. Albeit _barely."_ Warrior and Cleric crumbled at what was barely a passing grade. That was until Arthur laughed. "Nah, I'm kiddin'. You kids did pretty good. You kept your heads when things went south for the most part. I'd say you earned your reward plenty."

Warrior and Cleric glowed at his words, both bowing their heads. "Thank you, sir!"

"You'll still need to work on keepin' cool heads under pressure, though. But… that's somethin' you'll learn over time." Arthur shrugged before looking at Lenny. "As for you… damn, was it good to see you in action. Good shot, by the way."

"Heh. I had some good teachers." Lenny grinned, throwing his arm over Arthur's shoulder. His expression became softer, his eyes drifting to the ground. "I was… I was still shakin' a bit, but… didn't stop me at least."

"That's what matters most. Bein' able to keep goin' even when you're afraid." Arthur smacked his shoulder before the two unhooked from one another. "I'm real proud of you."

It wasn't long before the four made their way out of the forest. They soon spoke with Farmer and Cow Girl, the two relieved as well as mad at Lenny for his sudden departure. Still, they were more than happy to know that Lenny and the others made it out safe. And in the end, after seeing Arthur and the rookie pair off…

Lenny picked up a porcelain tag for himself.

 **To be continued…**

 **WOOO finally done! Man, that turned out much longer than I was expecting lol. I was expecting it to be average 6k words, but I ended up writing way more to explore Lenny quite a bit this chapter. It also helped, during the battle, to have the Bank Robbery Theme playing as I wrote haha**

 **I also wanted to make sure Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric got their fair share of action. It was tough working them in, but it seemed like a decent enough showing of the two in a different setting than their typical poop patrol (lol). Plus, it sort of goes into what my original plan for Lenny will be throughout the story! You'll see what that porcelain tag means for his future, but I will say it's more of a 'part time' gig for him. Still, it gives him a lot of options in the future and Arthur will be more than happy to call on him for help.**

 **There is one thing I've been having trouble deciding on though… honestly I was planning on having Lenny *cough cough* possibly garnering interest from either Guild Girl or High Elf Archer. Honestly, sad as it is, I doubt Cow Girl would go anywhere but to GS, but the other two I'd say are more possible imo. So, what do you guys think? Which one should Lenny get some screen-time with to make it happen? I have ideas for how both could work and want to do it as naturally as possible. Let me know your thoughts!**

 **Anyways, that's it for this chapter. I thought I'd give you guys a nice little New Years gift. Happy 2020 everyone, hope you're all enjoying yourselves and not too drunk! XD be sure to leave a review, a follow and a favorite, and maybe even give the TVTropes page a look! It needs some love haha**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I own neither Red Dead Redemption or Goblin Slayer.**

Chapter 11

"You're gonna join them?" Arthur raised an incredulous brow, eliciting a laugh from Lenny, the two having a talk at the guild bar.

"Sure, why not? I might be a good fighter, but I'm still new to all this adventurin' stuff." Lenny shrugged, sparing a look back at Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric who stood by the dining hall walkway. The two were prepping for their next adventure, and waiting for Lenny to finish his talk. "Besides. Someone's gotta watch out for those kids. Who knows what kinda trouble they'll get in on their own."

"Yeah, true. No one better than you to look out for 'em, to be sure." Arthur smirked, nodding in acceptance. "Well, don't be a stranger. If you and the greenhorns wanna do somethin' a little more serious, let me know. I'll be around."

"I'll be sure to do that. For now, I'll take things slow and learn the ropes. But once I've got my feet wet, I'll start gettin' these kids to tackle some tougher stuff with you."

"Sounds good to me. Take care out there. And don't let those kids trip on any traps." Arthur and Lenny embraced before Lenny took off, Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric joining him as they headed out of the guild. Arthur watched them go, lighting a match on his boot and lighting up a cigarette.

"Hey, Ae Feradir!" Arthur vaguely recalled the supposed title, but was quicker to recognize the voice as High Elf Archer. To his surprise, her and her companions had stuck around after their quest in the ruins. Though, moving at the pace they did, he and Goblin Slayer had been out and about and hadn't seen much of them around since then.

"Just call me Gunslinger, goddamn it…" Arthur muttered under his breath. "What'chu want?"

"Yeesh. Is that anyway to greet someone?" High Elf Archer scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just wanted to see if you were up for a quest."

"Me? Color me surprised, missy," Arthur let out a small bark. "I didn't think I was your favorite person."

"You're still a jerk, but… I have to admit, you know how to fight." HEA's ears twitched, crossing her arms. "I figured we could at least do some quests together. How about it?"

"You certainly do have a funny way of askin' for help." Arthur chuckled, the elf groaning in irritation. "Now, don't get your ears all twisted up. I'm up for a quest if you are. But I'm waitin' for Goblin Slayer first. See if we can take up a goblin quest for today. Feels like it's been a little bit too long since I killed one."

"I know you don't like them, but I didn't think you were bloodthirsty for killing goblins like he is." HEA raised a brow, mildly surprised by the look on her face.

"I wouldn't say I'm bloodthirsty. But I guess I'd say that if there's anythin' out there I think deserves killin' more than anything else it'd be those vermin." Arthur shrugged, fixing her with a firm glance. "You've seen what they do to people. To women, especially."

"Right…" A shadow passed over her face as she became momentarily disturbed. She shook it off though, fixing her posture. "Still, you could use some lightening up, you know? The both of you. Why not go on a more fun quest! Something with a lot less brutality involved."

"I go on different quests!" Arthur defended, taking a moment to think. "I mean… most of it's huntin' and killin' things. But what quests don't?"

"There's likely going to be killing in quests, of course. But I'm talking about stuff where it's not the focus!" HEA argued, placing her hands on her hips. "Stuff like following a treasure map, or escorting some royals around. Scouring the unknown! Stuff like that where it's just a fun quest for people to enjoy!"

Arthur laughed at the idea, though not entirely trying to insult her. "Those do sound like pretty tales that people might enjoy. Still, that's not really what me and Goblin Slayer are around for."

HEA briefly remembered their conversation by the campfire. "Right. You do it because it's all you're good at, or something, and he does it because goblins, obviously."

"Right. Hard for him to take the time to enjoy anythin' but killin' goblins." Arthur shrugged, blowing a smoke ring. "As for me, well… I guess I just… think it's the best I can offer. Still… I guess a regular adventure wouldn't be so bad."

It's not like Arthur didn't take time off now and again. He liked to go for rides across the Frontier or just take a modest fishing trip at one of the lakes nearby. But even he had to acknowledge that he sometimes got caught up in doing job after job. Old habits die hard, he supposed. But High Elf Archer's little talk with Priestess had certainly got Arthur thinking.

 _If not for me, I should at least consider it for Priestess. That girl gets too caught up in our work._

HEA blinked in surprise but gave a hopeful smile. "Well, at least you're not beyond convincing. Now we'll have to see if we can get Goblin Slayer on board."

"That requires a couple things sadly." Arthur smirked, putting out his cigarette on his boot. "First would be that there's no goblin missions on the board. Second would be that he needs the money."

"Ugh. Of course. I guess there's no way to convince him if there's goblins to deal with, otherwise." HEA sighed, looking away.

"Not really. And lately there's been plenty of 'em to go around." Arthur clenched his jaw, looking at the board. A few rookies had taken some smaller goblin quests, but he didn't fail to notice just how many there were. "We likely won't be goin' on any 'fun' adventures 'til this whole Demon Lord thing is over."

"Well, let's hope that rising gold rank lives up to her reputation and takes him out soon." HEA pushed some hair out of her face. "Have you heard of her?"

"Some kid, right? Barely fifteen?" Arthur asked. He'd heard a few things going around about some rambunctious girl who was hastily charging headlong into danger. And coming out of it just fine, if the stories were true. "How'd a kid get all that strength?"

"Guess the gods just blessed her early. Sometimes, the dice roll is that good." HEA shrugged. Arthur didn't know why people put so much emphasis on the dice roll thing, but he had to remind himself that the world was, supposedly, decided by the gods rolling dice constantly.

 _Whatever the hell that means._

"Gunslinger." Arthur and HEA drew their attention up, none other the Goblin Slayer approaching them with a rolled up parchment in hand. Priestess trailed behind him, her own expression conveying some panic.

"Well, look who it is! We were just talkin' about you." Arthur pushed off the bar.

"What's wrong? You look really serious." HEA asked Priestess, her brow knitting in concern.

"I-It's the job… Mister Goblin Slayer said…"

"Goblins." Goblin Slayer held the parchment out to Arthur, the cowboy unfurling it to take a look at the quest. "And not much time."

"What? What do you mean?" the elf asked, looking between them in confusion.

"Shit…" Arthur cursed after reading the details, looking back up at Goblin Slayer. "We need to get goin', and quick. You got your supplies?"

"Yes, but we'll need to prepare for the worst."

"What is going on?" HEA asked, becoming annoyed at being ignored.

"I got some stuff, but… if this is right, we're gonna need more than that."

"Hey!" Arthur and Goblin Slayer snapped their heads to High Elf Archer as she grit her teeth. "What is going _on?!_ What's got you both so worked up?!"

Arthur shared a glance with Goblin Slayer before sighing, handing him back the parchment.

"A village is about to get raided if the details are right. And hard. On top of all that, it'll be _tonight."_

* * *

The village was fortunate to not be too far from the guild. Goblin Slayer head received the quest early that morning, and it had only been a four hour ride for the adventurers. They hadn't asked, but High Elf Archer insisted on joining them, along with Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman. Arthur and Goblin Slayer made no bones about it though, as they suspected the additional firepower would be needed for what was to come that night.

"We're here." Arthur announced to the others, dismounting from his horse as he entered the edge of the modest village.

"Yeesh! We were barely able to keep up with you!" HEA huffed as she and the others drew in behind him, Priestess and Mastiff taking up the rear.

"Sir Gunslinger does possess quite the majestic mount." Lizard Priest noted, hopping off of his own ride.

The moment he laid eyes on it, he couldn't stop from cursing. It had no defensive walls. The houses were made of wood and hay roofing. The villagers were still scouring around like chickens with their heads cut off while the few guards around seemed to be stumbling around, shouting for people to stay in their homes.

"Ah, there you are!" An elderly man in somewhat fancier robes than the other villagers came running up to them. "You must be the adventurers we requested! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Where are the goblins?" Goblin Slayer asked immediately.

"Mister Goblin Slayer…" Priestess tried to scold him.

"No, he's right. We ain't got time to waste on chat." Arthur shook his head. "Tell us everythin' we need to know. You and your men got an exact number?"

"No, we don't unfortunately…" The village elder sighed, motioning for them to follow behind him. "We only saw the tracks that we reported, as well as our missing young women."

"How long have they been gone?" HEA asked, concern coloring her face.

"A day now. I can only imagine what they may be going through." The village elder wiped his forehead of sweat. "Their parents have been worried sick."

"If it's been a day, there's a chance they're alive." Goblin Slayer said, looking at Arthur. "Does this town have any defenses?"

"Just the few guards at our disposal. We have never had this kind of trouble before…" The village elder looked back at the townsfolk, swallowing a lump in his throat. "We're ill=prepared for this."

"No kiddin'. Those few men are pretty much useless at this point. Might as well be grave diggers." Arthur huffed, tapping the grip of his pistol impatiently.

"Mister Gunslinger!" Priestess gave him a scolding look.

"I'm bein' honest. We're gonna have to take this fight to them, and it ain't gonna be easy." Arthur explained, looking back at the village elder. "You can't take the villagers anywhere?"

"There's nowhere for us to go. We could try running but our entire livelihoods are placed in this village." The elder admitted, lowering his head.

"Well, stick around, and-" Arthur grunted when HEA gave him a quick elbow in the side.

"Don't worry, sir. We'll do everything we can!"

"Thank you, thank you. I'll tell the villagers to remain home and to wait for your return. One of our guards will show you where the tracks were found." The village elder bowed repeatedly before scurrying off to the others.

HEA quickly turned a scathing glare Arthur's way. "Why are you being so cold?!"

"I ain't tryin' to get his hopes up, for one." Arthur spat, walking past her. "We don't got an exact number on the goblins, and we don't even know if they're held up in a cave. They're likely camped out in the forest somewhere sharpenin' their spears."

"It does seem rather troubling if you and Sir Goblin Slayer are so concerned." Lizard Priest stroked his scaly chin. "How many are you expecting?"

"I'm not sure. But a large number at the least." Goblin Slayer said, looking at the guard as he approached. "We'll know more once we see the tracks."

The guard did as said, leading them to the edge of the village where the small print of goblin feet were found. Dozens of them. All in a single spot. Arthur clenched his jaw, looking at the others with a grave expression. "There's a lot of 'em, alright. Hope you're all ready for a long night."

"S-Should we expect any special goblins?" Priestess asked, looking to Goblin Slayer.

"Maybe. I expect at least several hobgoblins." Goblin Slayer declared, looking up at Arthur. "Can you track it?"

"Sure… just keep your guard up. If we're lucky, we can get 'em while they're in a cave. If not, then… we'll have to think of somethin' else." Arthur sighed, drawing his revolver. He leaned down to examine the tracks closer, eyes following the small trail left behind. "Easy enough to follow for now. Stick close and stay quiet."

"Try not to make too much ruckus, dwarf." HEA took a shot at the shaman, earning huff in return.

"Not all of us can be twig thin, elf."

"Why you-"

"Didn't I just say be quiet?" Arthur barked, forcing HEA to grit her teeth and follow his instruction.

"Priestess, keep a hand on Mastiff. He knows not to bark while you got a hand on him."

"Okay!" Priestess stayed close to the giant canine, the group moving forward after Arthur. They slowly maneuvered through the dense forest, following close behind him as he followed the tracks. High Elf Archer kept an eye out around them and her ears open, making sure they wouldn't be ambushed. The trees had thin trunks, but the brush was thick. Arthur didn't like the amount of cover that was provided on the ground. Sure, it was something they could use to their advantage. But considering how small goblins were, they were likely to have even greater use for it.

"Wait!" HEA called out in a hushed whisper. "I hear someone or… something coming… from the northwest."

 ***GRRRR…*** Mastiff seemed to confirm her words with a low growl, though managing to keep from barking as he stalked low.

"Take cover and get ready for an ambush!" Arthur ordered, quickly kneeling behind the foliage the best he could. The others spread out to get better positioning, Priestess taking Mastiff with her and making him stoop low to the ground. Goblin Slayer drew an arrow in his quiver with HEA doing the same, Lizard Priest and Dwarf Shaman armed a bent blade and a sling respectively.

"Come on… This way…" Arthur's brow furrowed. That was a man's voice. _Someone controllin' 'em?_

"Should we really be doing this cap? It's not like-"

"Quiet. We made this mess, we're dealing with it. No arguments."

The voice was vaguely familiar but Arthur couldn't place from where. He could hear the light footfall close by and knew they were trying to sneak through the forest. When a branch cracked just a few meters ahead of him, he gave Goblin Slayer a signal to move.

"Hold it right there." Arthur ordered, popping out of cover with his revolver aimed. The rest of the party was quick to follow suit, arrows and weapons at the ready. Mastiff stuck close to Priestess but began to foam at the mouth, ready to pounce as he growled.

Who goes there?!" The strangers answered, Arthur counting at least ten men as they all put hands on their swords.

"Wait!" The familiar voice from before ordered, the man taking the lead. Arthur soon recognized the man and the patch on his cloak. It was Merc Captain of the Ash Wolves and several of the same men they met before, with a few new additions. "You…"

"Yes, us. What a coincidence this is." Arthur didn't lower his gun for obvious reasons, he and their party coming out of hiding to surround the mercenaries. "Mind tellin' me what y'all are doin' here?"

"We're not here to fight you and your party, if that's what you're thinking." Merc Captain raised his hands in surrender, walking ahead of his men. "We came here about a goblin problem."

"A goblin problem. Another interestin' coincidence." Arthur scoffed, keeping his gun trained as he walked a pace forward. "We just so happen to be here for the same thing. Except we ain't cagin' any here. We're killin' em. And if you think you're gonna be takin' any of 'em, you're dead wrong."

"You know these guys?" HEA asked, eyes trailing to Arthur.

"They were a mercenary band that captures goblins for a benefactor." Goblin Slayer explained, a furious red eye leaking out of his helmet. "We're not letting that happen."

"We're not here to capture any of the goblins, I promise you." Merc Captain tried to convince them, face stoney as he met Arthur's gaze. "We're here to slaughter them, same as you."

"And why would you wanna do that?" Arthur asked, hiding none of his suspicion in his voice. "Somethin' tells me that a group of mercenaries ain't exactly the charitable types. What's in it for you?"

"We don't owe you any explanation!" one of the grunts scoffed. "So take your little party and-"

"Shut your mouth!" Merc Captain immediately made his man clam up. "You're already in enough trouble as is." Merc Captain sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned back to Arthur. "I'll tell you, but only if you'll lower your weapons."

Arthur spared a look back at the others, still suspicious, but nodded in approval. Arthur lowered his revolver but kept it in hand. "Guess we don't need to worry too much. One false move and I'm sure Mastiff will handle it fine on his own."

"Quite the beast you have, too." Merc Captain eyed the dog warily, sighing. "Well, if you must know...The goblins were… were originally in our captivity."

"Excuse me..?" Arthur's eyes bulged, sparing a look at Goblin Slayer before rage took over. "You tellin' me your men let 'em out?!"

"We didn't set them loose! They… escaped our captivity." Merc Captain grit his teeth, having the decency to cast his gaze away in shame. "My men were bringing them to our usual rendezvous but the cages broke loose while on the road. They had too few numbers at the time, so we're here now to correct that."

"So you didn't do it on purpose, and that's supposed to make it all better, huh?" Arthur huffed, shaking his head.

"Of course not. That's why we're here to clean up our mistake."

"That's treating it lightly!" Arthur spared a look back to see a fully enraged High Elf Archer glaring as she stomped up to them. "Your 'mistake' has gotten several girls kidnapped from one of the local villages yesterday! Who knows what they've been going through since then!"

"What?" Merc Captain looked genuinely taken back, though it did little to temper the party's anger.

"That is why we **kill** goblins. Not capture them." Goblin Slayer rarely showed emotion, but his voice conveyed enough to show he was equally upset. "Your men's actions have put an entire village in jeopardy."

"S-Shut up! We didn't have to-" Merc Captain fixed his man with a seething glare, the grunt taking a step back and lowering his head.

"... As you might be able to tell, _he_ was among the men in charge of the caravan taking the goblins away." Merc Captain turned back to Arthur and the others with a guilt riddled expression. "And I'm… sorry to hear about the women. But that's why we're here. To deal with this issue ourselves."

"We'll be handlin' the goblins. We ain't leavin' any alive, in case we didn't make that clear enough." Arthur tightened his grip around his revolver.

"And neither are we. As I said, we're here to fix our mistake." Merc Captain argued, gritting his teeth. "And even though it was just a few of my men's fault, they were still my men, so I will take responsibility and make sure they are handled. I'm sorry to hear about the village, we had no idea. But we can take things from here."

"Excuse us if we don't have too much faith in the people who let 'em out in the first place." Arthur scoffed, tapping his index finger on his gun. While he wanted to make sure they were there to kill the problem, it wasn't a lie to say that they couldn't use the help. "But… if you really wanna fix things, you'll follow our lead as we deal with 'em."

"You want to let these guys help?!" HEA argued, glaring.

"Normally I wouldn't. But we still don't know just how many there are. Just that there's a lotta 'em." Arthur sighed, stuffing his revolver away.

"We at least know their numbers." Merc Captain offered, leaning a hand on his sword hilt. "About seventy goblins. Add four hobgoblins to that as well as two champions. So around a total of 76."

"You've gotta be shittin' me. _Two_ champions?" Arthur snarled, biting his bottom lip. "You and your men really screwed up!"

"I know! And we're trying to fix it!" Merc Captain snapped before huffing. "We'll do as you say. We'll follow your lead and we'll help. But you know better than anyone that you'll need the numbers. We can provide support. I have two spellcasters with me and able bodied warriors. Even if they're not the brightest bunch."

"Sir-"

"Shut your mouth!" Merc Captain snarled at his men. "Either shut it or I'll cut out your tongue! We're doing this for _your_ foolishness."

The mercenary grunt remained quiet, looking like a kicked dog. Arthur scoffed, looking around at the others. "Fine. But you better keep your men in line or they're gonna end up among the corpses. You hear me?" Arthur sent a seething glare across the men, each of them remaining quiet.

"That's fair. But we'll do our part, I promise you that." Merc Captain turned back to his men. "Do you all understand? We're following their lead. Any of you complain or moan, we'll use you as feed for the goblins!"

"Yes sir!" They answered, even the most reluctant of his men. Merc Captain nodded, turning back to Arthur.

"Alright. So what are we doing?"

Arthur stroked the stubble on his chin, looking around at his party. "Well… first let's scout out where they're stayin'. We gotta come up with somethin' quick though because they'll attack come nightfall."

"Right. We were on their trail and they can't be too far now." Merc Captain supplied.

"Well, stick close and don't fall behind. Don't want you alertin' them and makin' the goblins go crazy." Arthur huffed, sparing a look at his men. Some of them were obviously disgruntled, but were silenced by a quick glance from Captain.

"We've wasted enough time. We need to go." Goblin Slayer reminded Arthur, deciding to move ahead.

"Right. Let's go." Arthur took the lead again, following the tracks that had been previously made.

"Hey, Gunslinger!" High Elf Archer quickly moved to his side, whispering. "Are you really sure about this? We can't trust a bunch of mercenaries!"

"I ain't trustin' 'em. But I'd rather keep 'em where I can see 'em. Besides, I wasn't lyin' when I said we could use the help." Arthur explained, clenching his jaw. "If the goblin's ain't in a cave, it means we're dealin' with an open battle. We'll need better numbers for it. Just keep an eye on 'em for now."

"If you say so…" HEA spared a look back at Merc Captain, who was keeping a reasonable distance back with his men.

"We can handle a few mercs if need be." Arthur added, causing her to raise a brow. "But let's hope it don't come to that."

"Right."

It wasn't long before they approached the end of the trail, Arthur quickly signaling for them to get down. A short distance away, they could hear the disturbing babble of goblins, the beasts speaking in their cursed native tongue.

"Alright. Rest of you stay back. Me and Goblin Slayer will scout out from here." Arthur suggested, unslinging his sniper rifle from his back.

"I'll go along as well. I can best direct my men if I have an idea of what we're dealing with." Merc Captain volunteered.

Arthur sent him a doubtful glance before sharing a look with Goblin Slayer. His partner gave a small nod of approval, causing Arthur to sigh. "Fine. Priestess. If the mercs give you any problems, have Mastiff eat 'em."

 ***Grrrrr…*** Clearly the dog seemed to have an idea of what he said, letting out a low growl as it looked in the mercenary group's direction. They took several cautious steps back, not wanting to test the large dog's bite.

"Let's move," said Goblin Slayer, the trio moving through the brush quietly and carefully. Arthur unslung his rolling block rifle, the three positioning themselves in what would be the best position possible in this relatively flat area. He peered through the scope, immediately swearing as he looked around.

"What do you see?"

"Nothin' good." Arthur sighed, scanning across the massive number of goblins. "Two champions and four hobs, like he said… And a whole lotta goblins."

"What's the positioning like?" Merc Captain asked this time.

"The Champions are at the center, movin' around and givin' order to the grunts. The goblins ain't restin', that's for sure. They're pretty rarin' for this raid." Arthur grit his teeth as his eyes landed on several human girls, all three alive but obviously in poor shape. "And there are the girls… poor things." He lowered the scope and spared a scathing glance at Merc Captain. "Well, you wanna make up for your people's mistake. You better be ready."

"They will be, don't worry." Merc Captain stroked his chin. "So how should we approach this? A head on attack would be difficult, but I'd say our numbers could handle this many goblins in a straight fight."

"Don't underestimate the goblins. Especially when they're being led by Champions." Goblin Slayer dismissed, looking at Merc Captain. "They aren't exactly smart, but they're not completely foolish either. They would use their numbers to spread out and force us into a corner if we made one mistake."

"Fair enough…" Merc Captain groaned, tapping the hilt of his sword. "So we try to thin the herd."

"Problem is, with them already spread out like this, we can't funnel them like if they were in a cave." Arthur pointed out, looking back through the scope of his rifle. "We need a diversion to pull some of 'em away."

"Let me take a look." Goblin Slayer stretched out his hand toward the rifle.

"Just try not to get too trigger happy lookin' at 'em." Arhtur handed it over, allowing him to peer through the scope. He scanned across the makeshift camp, looking for what weaknesses he could spy. He found his way to the edge of the camp, where some old leathers and weapons rested, only watched by several lone goblins. Goblin Slayer grunted, seemingly interested in something.

"What is it?"

".. .I have a plan."

* * *

Goblin Champions weren't nearly as cunning as Goblin Shamans, but they did possess a decent mind for battle. While the fodder fought on instinct and were capable of adapting over time, Champions could direct the others in more well thought out tactics. They were capable of adapting on the fly and could quickly understand the strength of their opponents through short clashes.

But this higher level of intelligence made them no less malevolent.

The two Goblin Champions kept the few women they captured for themselves. They roughly harassed their bodies and did unspeakable things to them for pleasure. They planned to make the girls their own personal playthings, waving them in front of their grunts like rare pieces of meat. They used it as a motivator for the upcoming raid as well. The fodder would be allowed to enjoy themselves to their heart's content once they had laid waste to the village just beyond the forests' edge.

The two Champions lazed around as their grunts sharpened their weapons and prepared for the night's raid. One kept a village girl in his clutches, taking a sick joy in making her squeal with the smallest scratch of his claws against her soft skin. The other had finished his fun with one of the other girls, locking her back up with the last one they caught and electing to chew on a chuck roast.

 _It's almost time._ Was the closest translation that could be given as the second Champion raised his gaze to the sun. It was beginning to set over the edge of the trees, the orange hue dimming slowly around them. The goblins began to get anxious with anticipation, small groups of the grunts snarling and slamming their meagerly crafted weapons against the dirt.

 _It's not too soon to start._ What could the village do to stop them, anyway? Nothing but cower in their homes. Homes they would burn to the ground and stain with blood. The Champion stood from its seat, preparing to let out a bloodcurdling roar.

 ***FWIP***

The Champion hesitated, drawing its gaze up when it heard the familiar sound of arrow piercing flesh. A goblin grunt had its head pierced clean through by an arrow. An elven arrow to be specific.

"You monsters are done for!" A feminine voice echoed from the treeline, and a figure made itself visible for all to see. The Champion felt a throbbing in his loins when he saw the fair skin of an elf make its presence known. A young woman with beautiful features and green hair.

He immediately lusted for her.

" _Capture her! But save her for me!"_ The Champion ordered in their black language, motioning forward. At least twenty of the goblins rushed forward, likely feeling a thirst equal to their Champion's own. _"Soil her and I'll slaughter you all!"_

Some of the grunts let out hisses in complaint but didn't argue. How could they argue against him, either way? They were just foot soldiers for his disposal.

" _I want a piece of her too!"_

Of course, the issue of having two Champions around with no Shaman to keep them on a leash came with its own issues. The first Champion spun on the other with a low growl, challenging him with his chest puffed out.

 _:"I saw her first! She's mine!"_ It growled in retaliation, pushing against the other's chest with his own. Some of the other goblins got riled up by the action, hopping in place as the fight broke out.

"Now!"

But their little duel for domination came to a screeching halt when they heard the roar of human men charging their ranks.

* * *

 _Of course_ _ **I**_ _had to be the bait!  
_

High Elf Archer clicked her tongue as she weaved between the trees, keeping a steady pace ahead of the goblins that she had on her tail. Running through the forest nothing to her, as she was nimble and light on her feet.

Which, combined with the fact that she was an elf, made her the perfect lure for the goblins. Something she begrudged Gunslinger for pointing out to her.

She spared a short look behind her, trying to count the number of goblins in pursuit. She doubted that they would send their entire horde after them, but that wasn't their intention in the first place.

 _I see about twenty. Looks pretty close to what they accounted for._ HEA thought as she slid across the ground and under a fallen log. She was getting close to the others, ready to spring their trap. _They better be ready!_

As if in answer to her wishes, the sound of a chanting staff chimed.

" _Hear me, O merciful Earth Mother, grant us the peace to accept all things…"_

A wave washed over the the forest, and all noise surrounding HEA ceased. The goblins too notice too little too late, coming to a slow stop several meters behind her and looking around like fools.

HEA spun around and drew her bow, piercing the head of the first goblin in her sights. As the goblins attempted to regain their composure, another had its head explode into a bloody spire of blood. She could appreciate the use of Silence now more than ever, as she didn't have to hear the extremely loud weapons of Gunslinger fire off.

Goblin Slayer was already upon the crowd with Lizard Priest, both swinging short blades and hacking the goblins apart. It was only a short number of twenty, and the two were capable of finishing them off themselves. But the plan was to divide and conquer. So HEA drew her another arrow back and killed a goblin standing closest to the pair. The one next to it had its head soon blown off as well, and HEA half felt that Gunslinger might have been trying to compete with her.

She didn't take joy in killing most things, but she had learned to take a little bit of pleasure in the competition to kill them.

Silence soon ended with the goblins slaughtered in a small circle around Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest. The adventurers met at the center, stepping over the corpses.

"Well done, elf! You certainly made for good bait!" HEA knew he wouldn't wait long to get a laugh at her expense. "Funny considering you've got so little meat on you."

"Well, we couldn't use you for bait considering your stubby legs!" HEA retaliated, crossing her arms.

"Don't worry, Dwarf. Next time we need somethin' plump for bait, we know who to look to!" HEA was surprised to hear Gunslinger toss some shade the dwarf's way before tapping her shoulder kindly. "Good work. Went just as planned."

HEA felt a little proud to receive praise from him, for once. _Guess he's not always so bad._

"I count twenty two." Goblin Slayer said, looking around at the corpses.

"I killed a goblin to get their attention, so that leaves fifty three." HEA pointed out.

"The mercs should already be fightin'. Let's get in that fight before they bite off more than they can chew." Gunslinger let the chambers of his so-called 'revolvers' spin, something he called a reload action. She never quite got it, but guessed it was some form of magic.

"Yes. Let's go." Goblin Slayer didn't have much patience to wait, quietly dashing ahead.

"I hope the mercenaries are doing well." Priestess was kinder than HEA thought she needed to be.

"I wouldn't worry too much." Gunslinger reassured them from ahead. "Mastiff is probably doin' all the work!"

* * *

Mercenary Captain was never one to consider having any sort of animal companion as a member of his group. Often he believed in the hard fought grit of he and his men, as well as his commander, Black Wolf. So when Gusnlinger offered to let them use Mastiff to help them in their ambush, he had half a mind to reject the idea, only accepting as a way of showing his cooperation.

But seeing the armored Dire Mastiff tear into the goblins with savage ferocity, he did take a moment to consider whether or not Gunslinger would be willing to sell the canine to him.

 ***GRAAAGH~*** Mastiff ripped the throat out of a hobgoblin like it was tearing into its dinner. The goblins around it cowered in fear, unable to get a handle on the beast while also having to deal with the mercenaries.

Their strategy had worked. They had divided and conquered. He still believed a straight on fight with the goblins would have been favorable, but Goblin Slayer's plan did make things easier to handle. The Goblins lost their flanking force and engaged the mercenaries in a straight on fight. He kept his eyes up and was sure that none had slipped around them. And soon, Gunslinger's group would be joining them.

"Keep pushing forward!" Merc Captain ordered, slashing a goblin clean in half from the head down. "But be weary of the Champions!"

"Don't worry, cap! They're nothin'!" Merc Rookie was trying to take the lead among the group. He could understand why, as it had been his fault that the goblins had got out.

"Rookie, keep your eyes up!" Captain warned as a hobgoblin charged him with a club. Rookie was fast on his feet though, dodging the swing and impaling his sword through its chest. Merc Captain felt some relief, making sure to finish off the goblins in front of him before looking back at him.

"See? Nothin'!" Rookie smiled at Merc Captain. Captain smirked before trailing his eyes forward. And only soon realizing his error.

"Rookie, look-"

But it was too late. The Champion took the moment of levity to toss a heavy trunked spear forward, and it lodged right into his neck. Merc Captain felt his throat dry as Merc Rookie flew backward, hitting the ground with a vicious thud as blood spewed from his neck. "Rookie!"

 _That damn kid!_ Merc Captain made a mad dash forward, heading for the Goblin Champion. The sickening smile on the monster's face only stoked the fire in his stomach.

 _He was always so damn cocky, trying to show off!  
_

He clashed blades with the Champion, and felt for himself that its size and muscle weren't just for show.

 _How many damn kids have to die like that?!_

Even as his muscles tore, Merc Captain pushed back against the Goblin Champion, releasing an agonized roar. The Goblin Champion merely cackled in his face.

 _Need to get my head on straight._

Merc Captain beat back his rage as his experience came into play, finally allowing the brutal club to slide past him, repositioning himself. He charged for the Goblin Champion's exposed side, seeking to take advantage of its size.

But the Champion was faster than he gave it credit for.

It swung the club back around, and Merc Captain cursed as he was forced to roll across the ground and avoid the swing. He brought his blade up to stab it through the gut, but the Champion was adorning heavy armor, armor likely stolen from their wares when the caravan fell.

His blade scraped against the front, but ultimately couldn't pierce it from the position that Merc Captain struck it from. The Goblin Champion brought its arm around and backhanded him across the face, sending him tumbling back several feet. Merc Captain was rattled by the blow and couldn't see straight for a moment. But he knew a single moment of vulnerability meant death.

He staggered to his feet, blade raised to defend.

 _I have to cut into its arms or neck. The armor is too sturdy!_

Merc Captain grit his teeth as the Champion raised its club high above its head, looking to bring it down on him. He waited until the last moment, dodging just in time to avoid what would have easily crushed him before bringing his sword forward and slashing into its arm.

He felt the dense bone fight against his blade. But with a final grunt of strength, Merc Captain lobbed the arm off the Goblin Champion. It let out a sickening howl of pain, gripping at the stub left behind by his work.

 _My chance!_

Merc Captain raised his blade, looking to deal the final blow as the Champion nursed its stub. But before he could, the other Champion pushed it aside and brought its iron wrought club around. Merc Captain felt his ribs crack when the iron struck his side, sending him hurdling across the ground. Blood spilled from his mouth, and it was painful to even try and move.

"Captain!" He heard his men cry, but he guessed that they were engaged in their own fights. The Goblin Champion stalked toward his prone form, club dragging behind it.

 _Shit. I… I can barely move._ Merc Captain stared up at the Goblin Champion, spitting out a clot of blood again. It merely grinned down at him, raising its iron club once more with intent to kill.

 _So this is how it ends, huh? I guess… I had it coming eventually._

Merc Captain promised himself long ago that he would face death like a man. He didn't beg the Champion for his life. He merely stared into its eyes in defiance.

But fortunately, it wasn't his time. And the Goblin Champion found a new hole plugged through its head.

* * *

Arthur had expected the mercenaries to be holding their own well enough. But it seems they underestimated the Goblin Champions. Seeing Merc Captain on the ground and one of his men dead, Arthur felt they couldn't have made it to the fight fast enough. As soon as he saw the Goblin Champion raise its club, he took aim with the Calloway revolver and blew a new eye socket in the side of its head.

Goblin Slayer and Lizard Priest were quick to join in as well, jumping on the Champion that seemed to be missing an arm. It swung the club hopelessly at them to keep them back, but Goblin Slayer evaded under it, quickly bringing his short sword up and stabbing it between the plating that covered its chest. To make sure that it wouldn't try to fight much further, Lizard Priest hacked into its collarbone with his sickle blade, causing the Goblin Champion to fall to its knees in agony.

"Don't let any get away!" Arthur told the others, raising his gun and blasting a hole through a goblin's gut. HEA let an arrow fly, nailing another through the head. Looking around, few goblins were left, the rest hoping to escape to the forest.

"Mastiff!" Arthur whistled, the blood covered dog snapping its head up to look at him. "Sick 'em!" Mastiff didn't need to be told twice, giving hot pursuit to the last of the goblins. Arthur really liked having that dog around for clean up. Even if Goblin Slayer would still pursue to make sure it was finished.

Arthur then turned his attention to Merc Captain, who weakly tried to crane himself up to a sitting position. "You alright?"

"Not… the word I'd use…" He coughed out a wad of blood, wiping his lips. "Ribs are broken…"

"Here. Might help a bit." Arthur offered a potion, tossing it to his side as he kept his gaze up. The other mercenaries were rushing to his side as the fighting came to an end.

"Thanks…"

"Captain!" The rest of the mercenaries scrambled to his side, quickly kneeling by him. "Are you alright?"

"Better than dead…" Merc Captain slung his arm around the shoulders of one of his men. "What about Rookie? Is he dead?"

"Yes sir… he didn't last long after taking the spear to the throat."

"Hm…" Arthur saw a brief glimpse of pain cross the captain's face. "Bring me to him." His men did as ordered, carrying him over to his fallen comrade's side. Arthur watched from a short distance, soon joined silently by HEA and Priestess.

"The girls are alive. Lizard Priest is having his bone warriors take them back to the village." HEA informed him, her eyes trailing to the mercenaries.

"Dear Earth Mother…" Priestess muttered a prayer next to him.

"Put me down." Merc Captain was set down beside the Rookie's side, his features softening as the frown on his lips stiffened. He pulled the spear out from Rookie's throat, cradling the young man's limp head in his hand. "You damn fool…"

Arthur looked down, feeling he should at least say something. "I'm… sorry about the kid."

"... It was his fault, you know." Arthur recalled that he was the kid who had tried to speak up. "He was in charge of the caravan. But he had also been behind this horde's original capture. He was… a bright kid. Had a big heart, but… was too eager to prove himself."

"Bad business…" Arthur sighed, lowering his head out of decency.

"He was against you all helping because he wanted to make up for his mistake. More than anything." Merc Captain released a tired breath, turning to Arthur with a face drained of color. "But I wanted the fool to see that it was better to be smart than to try so hard. I suppose I still failed him in that way."

"Captain…" Arthur saw a deep sorrow in the faces of each man among his group. He quickly understood that Merc Captain was more than just their leader to them. And his pain was their pain.

Arthur sighed, taking his hat off. "You need help buryin' him?" That was the best he could offer in sympathy.

"No. We burn the bodies of our men. We're bred in ash, we end in ash. That's the Ash Wolves way." Merc Captain gently placed Rookie's head back on the ground, forcing himself to stand on his own despite the pain in his face. "We'll handle clean up here as well. Go and reassure that village that everything's fine now."

"Shouldn't you all rest at the village before that?" Priestess offered, worry showing in her voice.

"I appreciate the offer, young lady, but I doubt they'd welcome us warmly." Merc Captain leaned on one of his men's shoulders, eyes still staring down at Rookie's body. "You lot… get a pyre going. Let's burn what's left."

"Yes sir." The mercenaries dispersed, leaving Merc Captain alone after he dismissed the grunt he was leaning on. Arthur slowly walked up to his side, looking down at the young man's body.

"A special pyre will be made for him. I wouldn't dream of putting his body with the goblins." Merc Captain spoke without being asked, but Arthur nodded regardless.

"I see." Arthur stroked the stubble on his chin and sighed. "Maybe from now on… you and your men should rethink this whole 'capture goblins' thing you got goin' on. Lotta trouble came from one mistake."

Merc Captain was silent, and Arthur thought for a moment he might not speak up. He turned to leave him be, but finally he spoke:

"I've been against the idea for some time now."

Arthur turned back, brow raised. "Then why you still doin' it?"

Merc Captain clenched his jaw, slowly trailing his gaze over to Arthur. "Our leader is too invested in all this. Too much money, I suppose. Though I get the feeling there's something else to it."

"And… that is?" Arthur furrowed his brow, turning fully to the mercenary.

"I don't know. I just know that however I feel about it, I'll keep doing it so long as he tells me to." Merc Captain nursed his side, gritting his teeth as he slowly turned around.

"If you really don't want to, then just stop!" HEA spoke up after having been silent for so long. Arthur half forgot she was there.

"That's not how things work, elf." Merc Captain didn't look at her, half limping away from the three. "If he asks me to do something, I do it."

"That's…" High Elf Archer wanted to argue more, but Merc Captain continued to limp, ending the conversation. "What's up with that guy?"

"Easy." Arthur understood immediately sparing HEA a sideways glance. "He's loyal. Ain't nothin' more to it."

"But that's…"

"Come on. Leave 'em be. They've lost enough today." Arthur told them, touching Priestess' shoulder as he passed her by. They soon left the mercenaries to their own work, allowing the work they did that night to be engulfed in flame and smoke.

 **To be continued…**

 **That was an interesting chapter to write. I had been kind of stuck on my plans for the fight itself for a few days, but finally buckled down and wrote all of it out today!**

 **As you can see, the Ash Wolves make their appearance once again. Their storyline is something I'm kind of working in now and again, as I plan for their arc to be the endgame of the story. Hopefully it goes as well as I want it, but I feel pretty good about the direction I've taken it so far. Hope you all feel the same!**

 **Anyways, thanks again for reading, the next two arcs will be business as usual with stuff I'm sure you're all familiar with but perhaps with some original twists of their own? We'll have to see. You all have a good night and I hope you stay healthy in these tough times. Be sure to leave a review, a follow and a favorite if you'd be so kind! And perhaps add to the TVTropes page if you have the time. Thanks!**


	12. Side Story: The Mystical Songstress

**NOTE: Just a forewarning, this is not a new chapter but something I wrote on the side some time ago and thought I'd share over here on FFN! Please enjoy!**

The Mystical Songstress

"Welcome adventurers, one and all! We hope you're all doing well in these trying times in the battle against the Demon Lord!"

Arthur only kept a sideways glance on the beautiful older woman, dubbed the Divine Songstress, standing atop the makeshift stage. It had been a surprise to walk out of his room at the Guild to find that a good number of adventurers had gathered in the mess hall rather than set out for quests. As it turned out, a famous Opera company had strolled into town, and offered their voices to serenade the adventurers of the guild. Guild Girl had described it as a surprise for their adventurers in hopes of keeping morale up while the war waged.

Arthur could understand that. Bill used to describe how the army would now and again bring in performing girls to entertain the men. Help get their minds off the constant killing.

"Oh, man~! We're really lucky, huh?!" Arthur felt a hand slap against his shoulder, letting out half chuckle as Spearman plopped into the stool next to him with Witch sitting on his opposite side. "It's rare to see _the_ Opera Company come to a little place like the Frontier!"

"I've never really been into operas. They popular?" Arthur asked, somewhat surprised that Spearman was making a big deal of it.

"Quite a… bit. They are famously known in… the Capital. It is quite… difficult to see a… performance without buying… ahead of time." Witch explained, drawing out her pipe from her bust as lighting the tobacco with a quick spell.

"I've always heard how the singers are like angels, and the main girl, the Mystical Songstress, is a real beauty to behold!" Spearman grinned ear to ear. "I guess this is one of the benefits to workin' at this place during the war!"

"The crowd outside certainly seemed to agree." Arthur laughed. When he had taken a peek outside, a large crowd had gathered around in hopes of seeing the performance. Unfortunately for them, it was private and only being held for the adventurers of the guild. And of course, they weren't taking any new ones for the day.

"Hey." Arthur drew his gaze up, Goblin Slayer approaching with Priestess close behind. "Goblins. Do you want to come?"

"Come on, Goblin Slayer! Can't you take a load off and enjoy the opera?" Spearman scoffed, leaning on his elbows as he stared at the fully armored adventurer.

"Goblins aren't resting. Neither can I." Spearman clicked his tongue, ignoring Witch as she stifled a quiet giggle into her hand.

Arthur looked at the stage, somewhat interested in seeing a live performance like this. "That depends. Think you'll need me?" Arthur might have wanted to watch, but he wouldn't turn a job down if it clearly needed his attention.

"Not likely. Signs describe a small nest in an old ruin." Goblin Slayer held out the paper to him. "You can stay if you want."

Arthur took the parchment, not wanting to be too neglectful. But examining the information given, Arthur knew he was right. "Hm… I think you'll be fine without me. Plus you've got Mastiff to help you out. I'll relax for today."

"I see." Goblin Slayer gave a short nod.

"We'll be fine, don't worry." Priestess gave a half smile, her eyes drifting to the stage now and again in interest.

"You can stay too." Goblin Slayer clearly hadn't missed it, but Priestess shook her head fervently.

"N-No, I'll be fine! They said they'll be performing again tonight and tomorrow, so I'll just wait until then!" Despite her words, Priestess's voice clearly longed to watch the opera.

"Do what you want." Goblin Slayer grunted, turning around to take his leave.

"H-Hey! Don't leave without me!" Priestess scurried after him, and Arthur could only shake his head in amusement.

"Man, can't that guy take off for just a bit?" Spearman grumbled, leaning back on the bar.

"I don't blame him. If those goblins are left unchecked, who knows what'll happen." Arthur shrugged. "I probably woulda gone if it were somethin' bigger."

"You're lettin' that guy become too big of an influence on you, I swear." Spearman was given a mug of ale, quickly taking a swig before letting out a satisfied gasp. "You know… I hear that Mystical Songstress is lookin' for a man."

"Of course you heard that." Arthur rolled his eyes, sipping on his own drink.

"I did! Apparently after the show, she looks for someone in the crowd and gets a drink with 'em!" Spearman grinned eagerly, his cheeks reddening. Arthur held back a smirk when he saw Witch silently blow smoke with rather forceful puffs. "It'd be real interestin' to be able to have a drink with a lady like that!"

"Aren't you sweet on Guild Girl?" Arthur asked with an incredulous brow raised.

Spearman stiffened at that, looking to the side sheepishly. "W-Well, yeah, but… it'd just be a drink! Nothin' wrong with that, righ-" Spearman began to cough when one of Witch's smoke clouds happened to blow in his face, Arthur letting out a loud laugh. "H-Hey! Watch where you blow that smoke!"

"The opera is… beginning…" Witch didn't pay him any mind, her eyes focused on the stage. The lounging area dropped to a whisper as several young women took to the stage. Arthur leaned back in his stool, watching as the women stood in a line. They soon let out a low tune with matched pitches, their voices escalating in depth. They slowly stepped to the side as another woman walked on stage.

Arthur guessed that she was the supposed Mystical Songstress that Spearman mentioned, because she was indeed beautiful. She wore a scarlet red dress cut low at her thighs with black stockings on her voluminous legs. She wore a strange armored corset around her stomach, which surprisingly complimented her style. Or perhaps she was just beautiful enough to pull it off? Her eyes were a dazzling emerald that sparkled from the spotlight, her hair silky and brown, flowing down her back and chest. Her skin was fair and her lips were covered in a ruby red paint.

As she took the stage, murmurs began to erupt from the crowd. Arthur spared a look at Spearman, the man's jaw hanging low as he seemed to swoon. Arthur let out a low chuckle but said nothing. He could understand his awe. The Mystical Songstress lived up to her reputation. Now it was time to find out if her voice did as well.

" _In time's flow~... See the glow of flames burning bright…_

 _On the swift river's drift~ broken memories alight~!"_

And to Arthur's own awe, her voice well surpassed his expectations. What murmuring had gone on in the mess hall had ceased completely, and the only sound to be heard was the chorus. And the Mystical Songstress. Not a peep was made from the crowd, allowing her to complete her song without fail. It was only when the singing ceased that the adventurers began to stir from the mesmerization.

The silence was then replaced by applause, the adventurer's guild showing their admiration of her singing. Arthur clapped, joining in on the praise. He had heard a few good singers in life, but nothing like the woman who stood atop the stage, dazzling like a star as she smiled and bowed.

"Thank you, thank you. I'm glad I was able to brighten this place just a little with what I am capable of giving." The Mystical Songstress's voice was almost as enchanting as her singing. "We want to show our appreciation for the adventurers and the guilds who have been fighting in these trying times along with the rest of the Frontier. And I hope that our performance will bring light to those who need it now, more than ever."

Another applause met her words, some of the adventurers wooting and cheering. Arthur hoped they would end soon, because he would rather hear the music begin.

The performance went on for over an hour. Barely anyone moved from their seats, and if anyone did, it was out of clear need. Arthur felt he was among one of those starstruck fools, fully enticed by the woman's serene voice and her graceful movement. Though he didn't let that take away from the others, as he soon found that the rest of the opera, especially the Divine Songstress, had hypnotizing voices of their own.

It was almost disappointing to the crowd when the music came to an end and the opera singers did a final bow. The guild showed its appreciation with a thunderous applause, standing from their seats. Once again, Arthur joined the club, happy to give his honest admiration for the performance. Once the cheers winded down and the crowd began to settle, a good number of patrons began to leave, while Arthur returned to his seat with Spearman and Witch.

"Man… That was mindblowin'! She was incredible!" Spearman prattled, leaning forward on the bar and grinning like an idiot.

"I gotta admit, I wasn't quite expectin' that. She really was amazin'. All of 'em were, but she… It'd take someone more elegant than I to describe it I think." Arthur chuckled, sipping on his beer again. It had gone lukewarm after being left untouched throughout the performance.

"I was… quite taken… by her voice. As well as her… beauty." Witch admitted, no longer looking sour over Spearman's previous remarks. Even she wore an expression of admiration.

"Right?! Even you can see it!" Spearman laughed, sitting up in his seat. "Well, think I should try my luck? See if she's up for chatting with a dashin' hero like myself?"

"If you wanna embarrass yourself, sure." Arthur rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Knock yourself out."

"Ah, what do you know?!" Spearman waved him off humorously, leaning on one elbow. "If you think you've got a better chance, why don't you go and chat her up?"

"I never said I would. You're the one goin' on about botherin' the poor girl." Arthur laughed, shaking his head. "Besides, lady like that's probably into handsome knights, ridin' on white stallions. Not ugly mugs like me."

"Ugly… you say?" Witch tilted her head in wonder. "Whatever gave you… the idea that you… were ugly?"

"The mirror." Arthur retorted, looking at the mirror that hung against the tavern wall. He was face to face with himself, and he felt a small bit of hate bubble in his stomach. "What an ugly bastard."

"Sounds a little mean to say to yourself."

"Well, I ain't really-" Arthur turned to the new voice, half thinking it was Padfoot Waitress. But much to his shock, he was met with Mystical Songstress, the diva standing there with a gentle yet amused smile on her face.

"Huh?" Spearman's jaw hung low as he realized who it was, Witch staring with wide eyes as well. A small crowd of adventurers who had remained stared at Arthur enviously from behind her. But Songstress stood there without acknowledging it, either naive to their presence or uncaring.

Arthur spared a look at Spearman before looking around, seeing if there was anyone else more interesting at the bar.

"I was talking to you, yes." Arthur's gaze snapped back to Songstress, the young woman letting out a soft giggle. "Would you care to buy me a drink?"

Arthur couldn't help but feel flustered. He hadn't been approached like this before, at least not from a woman this… he didn't even know what to compare her to. All he knew was that he wasn't on her level. "I… I'd be happy to, miss, but I think you'd find some better company else-"

"Good! Then I'll take a cup of wine." Mystical Songstress didn't hesitate to take a seat next to Arthur, sitting on the side opposite of Spearman. Speaking of, the famed adventurer's jaw still hung low, but Witch decided to shut his jaw with her fingers.

"We should… be going… now." Witch said, grabbing Spearman's collar and pulling him along. "You have… fun now… Gunslinger."

Arthur opened his mouth, half tempted to beg them to stay. But he hesitated, not sure how much his pride could take if he couldn't at least talk with the woman next to him. He'd been with several women in his life, this shouldn't be much of a problem. Even with the nagging voices of doubt at the back of his mind.

"Gunslinger, huh? Unique name." Mystical Songstress said, leaning her forearms on the bar. "How'd you get that title?"

"Well… it's on account of… of…" Arthur spared a look over his shoulder when he felt peering eyes, sneering when he realized they were still being watched by some of the other adventurers.. "Oh for goodness sake-don't you all have quests to be goin' on?! Get out of here!"

The young men and women clumsily clambered away, eliciting a laugh from Songstress as she watched them go. "You certainly command a bit of respect, don't you?"

"Nah, they're just a bunch of fools." Arthur laughed, waving off the idea. "But if you wanna waste some time talkin' to me, I must question if you're one or not, miss."

"Maybe I just have an eye for odd men? Some girls do love a challenge, after all." Songstress shrugged carelessly, deflecting his words with ease. "Now. How about that drink?"

Arthur stared at the woman for a moment before shrugging. "Ah, what the hell… If you're set on it. Hey, can we get-"

"Hey, Gunslinger~!" Arthur looked back to see Padfoot Waitress skipping over to him. "Did you see the whole performance?! That Mystical Songstress had an amazing voice!"

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the show!" Songstress spoke up before Arthur could. Padfoot Waitress stopped cold, eyes bulging out of her head when she realized who was sitting next to Arthur. She gawked for a moment, her eyes slowly drifting to Arthur. He could feel the intensity build up as her eyes narrowed.

"What?" Arthur asked, trying not to let a smile crack in amusement.

"... Someone's popular, _huh_?" Padfoot Waitress huffed, sticking her hip out.

"I got no idea what you mean." Arthur chuckled as he motioned to Songstress. "The lady here just wanted to enjoy a drink with somebody that won't drool all over the place. Speakin' of, could you get the lady a cup of red wine? And another ale for me."

Padfoot Waitress stared for a moment, eyes momentarily drifting to Mystical Songstress. The diva simply met her gaze with a smile, eliciting a small huff from her. "Coming right up~! By the way, the price is double right now since we're running low."

"Since when is that a rule?" Arthur complained, but Padfoot Waitress skipped off without another word, sticking her nose up in the air as she left. Arthur let out a sigh, turning back to the bar.

"She was cute! Old girlfriend?" Songstress teased, leaning forward next to him.

"Nothin' like that. She just likes to mess with me." Arthur shook his head.

"Here you go~!" Padfoot Waitress was quick as ever, nearly tossing Arthur's cup in front of him while gently placing down Mystical Songstress's. "I hope you enjoy! I gave you one of the top shelf bottles, Mystical Songstress! You were really great on stage!"

"I'm really happy to hear that. I hope you'll be around for the next performance tomorrow!" Songstress's smile was brilliant, and Padfoot Waitress couldn't help but squirm under her gaze.

"I will, definitely!" Padfoot Waitress grinned ear to ear. Before her expression fell the moment she looked at Arthur. "Make sure you pay for her drink."

"Don't you have customers to tend to?" Arthur laughed as Padfoot Waitress stuck a tongue out at him, turning around and taking her leave. "Honestly, I think she was jealous that _I'm_ the one who got to drink with you and not her."

"I do seem to have that affect on people," Songstress brushed her hair back dramatically, spurning a chuckle from Arthur. "So, Gunslinger. I think I've heard of you before! You're a hunter of sorts, right?"

"Somethin' like that. I've killed some big game I guess, but it ain't exactly all I do." Arthur shrugged his shoulders, drinking down a swig of his ale.

"Yes, I think I heard you were partners with the infamous Goblin Slayer. That's why I was a little confused when I heard you were a hunter, too." Songstress tapped her chin in thought.

"We're partners, sure, but we do our own things now and again. Huntin' goblins don't exactly make much money." Arthur explained.

"Ah, interesting. Have you been helping out with some of the quests around the Demon Lord's army?"

"Not much, no. I did a couple of quests that were involved, but not a lot." Arthur admitted. "I ain't exactly one of those kids lookin' to become some gold ranked hero. I do a job, and I get paid. If I help people in the process, then I guess even better."

"I see." Songstress sipped on her wine, her emerald eyes watching him curiously. It was clear that she was waiting for him to continue, as if interested to learn more. But Arthur wasn't planning to brag about his exploits. Many of them weren't pretty, and he wasn't sure how they started talking like this. Still, he did find it easy to talk with her.

"Well, enough about my menial jobs. What about you?" Arthur asked, the ale in his hand helping to loosen him up a bit. "How long you been singin'?"

"Since I was very young, actually. Divine Songstress found me as a child and helped me get into the Opera Company, in fact." She answered, twirling a finger in her brunette locks.

"Guess you're pretty lucky! Musta been nice to find your callin' so early." Arthur offered kindly, stroking the stubble on his chin. "Kinda reminds me of how I was found as a kid by my mentors. Only, they didn't teach me how to sing."

"Oh? What did they teach you?"

"Oh, you know. Stuff I can use workin' in a place like this." Arthur motioned to the guild. It wasn't dishonest, for the most part. "Nothin' too nice, at least. Though… They did teach me how to read. How to fish. Among a few other things."

"Sounds like it wasn't all too bad. It sounds like they meant a lot to you, too." Songstress tilted her head to the side, almost as if trying to see through Arthur.

"Sure… I suppose not." Arthur nodded, trying not to think too hard about Hosea and Dutch. "But before we go any further, I gotta ask… what made you walk up to me of all people? Whole lotta other people you could be drinkin' with in here."

"Is it so hard for you to believe that a woman wants to drink with you?" Her voice had a small hint of wonder as well as amusement laced within. "Sure, I could walk up to just any guy in the guild hall and likely be treated to a nice drink… so I walked up to you."

"Well, sure, I get that, but…" Arthur scratched his cheek, unsure where he should be going with this. "I just ain't the most interestin' person around."

"I thought you were interesting. You certainly don't dress like any other adventurer I've met." Arthur looked down, aware of the fact that he still dressed like the old cowboy that he was. "I thought you were at least worth talking to. Even after you avoided talking about yourself too deeply."

Arthur raised a brow at her awareness, unable to stop a laugh from ringing out. "I guess I wasn't quite so subtle as I thought."

"Actually, I thought you did a good job. But I'm an expert at avoiding the topic of myself." The Songstress gave a sultry smile, leaning her chin into her hand.

"It seems I've underestimated you, miss. Though you did give out a little about yourself." Arthur pointed out, leaning back against the bar as he started to get into the conversation.

"True. I thought I'd at least give you a little bit to go on. Though you'll have to figure out if that's the whole truth or not." She winked at him, and Arthur dared to think that most men would be bewitched by now. "Besides, I was able to learn a little in return thanks to it."

"True, I guess you did that." Arthur conceded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Still, you coulda picked a better lookin' fellow than me."

"Better looking? I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you see in the mirror. I see a rather handsome man myself." Arthur hadn't been flustered in a long time by a woman, but Songstress's silky voice certainly made him feel like a young fool again.

"If you say so." Arthur coughed into his wrist, trying to maintain a neutral reaction so that he could keep some of his dignity.

"But you know… maybe that attitude is kind of what drew me to you."

Arthur raised a brow, looking at Songstress in wonder. "How you mean?"

The sultry expression she wore fell away for a moment, replaced by a solemn frown as she drew her eyes to the mirror hanging from the tavern wall. Arthur followed her gaze, seeing that she was staring directly into her own eyes.

And he could see it. That bubbling hate. That underlying disgust Arthur felt every time he looked in a mirror long enough. Mystical Songstress masked it behind her glamour and beauty, but it was a look Arthur was all too familiar with.

"I see." Arthur's voice was quiet, having the decency to keep his thoughts to himself.

"So you do understand, hm?" Songstress's lip curled up a bit, pulling her eyes away from the mirror to look at Arthur. There was still a hint of malice in her gaze, but it was clearly not directed at him. "I saw it in your eyes, too."

"Heh. I guess I… really ain't foolin' no one." Arthur scratched the stubble on his chin. He couldn't imagine what would make a young woman like Mystical Songstress feel that way about herself. Arthur knew exactly why he hated himself, even now. But he had lived an entirely different life.

"Well, for what it's worth… I doubt you deserve it like I do." Arthur tried to offer in consolation. But if she was anything like him, it wouldn't help.

"That's kind of you to say. I don't really believe you… but it's nice." Songstress pushed a strand of hair out of her face, giving what Arthur could tell was a more genuine smile. "Still, it does feel nice to be around someone who… gets it. Who gets what I'm feeling. You know?"

Arthur had to take a moment to think on that. This was the first person he could really say related to him on that kind of thing. Was it good for either of them? He wasn't sure. But in a way, it was nice. "I suppose so, miss."

A quiet lingered between them as they felt a strange bond form. He drank from his mug while she sipped from her cup. With a satisfied hum, the facade of the Mystical Songstress returned.

"Well, that was a good cup of wine. And as depressing as it got… I enjoyed our talk." She said, turning around in her stool. "I would like to stick around longer, but i do want to get some rest before the next performance."

"Of course. Well, if you're lookin' for more dreary talk, I'd be happy to get you another drink sometime." Arthur chuckled, eliciting one from her in return.

"Careful, now. I may just take you up on that." Mystical Songstress smiled with charm once again. "Will you be seeing the second performance?"

"Maybe. It depends on what kinda work comes in." Arthur said truthfully, stroking his chin. "I'd certainly like to see it, though."

"I do hope you'll be able to attend again. I'd like to see you before we leave town." Songstress gave a curt bow, her lips curled up into a sultry grin. "Thank you for the drink. I'll see you around."

"Good day, miss." Arthur tipped his hat, watching as the Mystical Songstress strutted away. He absentmindedly fished into his pocket shirt pocket for a cigarette, popping one in his mouth and reaching for a match.

"You two seemed to hit it off pretty well." Arthur nearly jumped out of his skin when he realized Padfoot Waitress was close by, a cute pout on her face as she tapped her foot. "Enjoy yourself?"

"It was an… interestin' conversation. Nothin' more." Arthur denied, raising his hands in surrender. "I doubt it was rivetin' enough for her to wanna really talk again."

"You sure? She looked pretty into the whole thing." she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "I thought you might be a scoundrel after you helped that all-girl team… it looks like your true face surfaces yet again!"

"Oh, give it a rest." Arthur laughed, shaking his head as he waved it off. "Not like I did anythin'."

"If you say so~! And don't forget to pay your tab! And tip your waitress," Padfoot Waitress dropped a paper in front of him, Arthur holding it up and blinking.

"That wine could not have been that expensive!"

"I told you, double price!" Padfoot Waitress giggled as she skipped off, hiding in the kitchen before Arthur could complain. He stared at the door for a moment before letting out a sigh and a laugh, fishing out the money for the bill.

 _Guess it was worth it. Had a drink with a beautiful lady, and… not a terrible conversation._ Arthur put the coin on the bar, standing from his seat. _Well, I doubt she'll remember me once they leave._

Arthur hadn't realized at the time, but the impression he left on the Mystical Songstress was stronger than he thought. And she planned to see him again, one day. Sooner, rather than late.

 **The End…**

 **Hey there, guys! I hope you enjoyed that little snip! To those who don't know, The Mystical Songstress is an expy of Dorothea Arnault from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. She's one of my favorite female characters in any medium, and she reminded me a bit of Arthur. I thought it would be fun to set them up for a little drink together and thought I'd share it out!**

 **I had thought about making this a side thing with no relation to the story, but my fans on Spacebattles made compelling arguments to make it canon. I even have a few good ideas for how to tie her back into the story later, too! Why don't you all give me your opinions? Tell me if you want her around and I'd be happy to do so :)**

 **Ah, something to note as well that I forgot to say last chapter: Lenny will no longer be an option for HEA or Guild Girl. After thinking about it, him and Spearwoman make for a fun little couple to play with. Thanks for the ideas on it everyone!**


End file.
